


Loki, God of Mischief, versus actual Disney Prince Peter Parker

by Lenni51074



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Also pretending that large chunks of Age of Ultron didn't happen, Angst, BFF Peter Parker, Because you can't rush these things, Bucky Barnes Is a Good Bro, But I don't care, But it's not like we don't all know what's going to happen, But it's wayyyyyyy down the track, Cousin Tony Stark, Don't even talk to me about Infinity War, Enemies to Friends, Everybody is old enough to consent to stuff, Eyebrows of Disappointment, F/M, Friends to Enemies to Friends, Friends to Lovers, Honestly Cap would be so disappointed in me, Honestly so much of this is based off memes, I REGRET NOTHING, I need help, Ignoring the events of CACW, Implied Smut, Jealous Loki (Marvel), Language, No inappropriate shenanigans, No underage stuff because that's just icky, Not Canon Compliant, Peter Parker Can Wield Mjolnir, Prank Wars, Precious Peter Parker, Protective Tony Stark, Sam Wilson Is a Good Bro, Slow Burn, Sorry if any of this seems OOC, Steve Rogers Is a Good Bro, Tumblr Memes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-20
Updated: 2019-01-08
Packaged: 2019-07-14 18:13:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 17
Words: 43,847
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16045883
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lenni51074/pseuds/Lenni51074
Summary: Loki has been your best friend for the past two years, since he moved into the Avengers Tower in an attempt to redeem himself for his past actions. You bond over a love of reading, chocolate and pranking Tony. Loki begins to think that life on Midgard might not be so bad after all, if it means he gets to spend every day in your presence. You’re the only one who treats him like he’s not a monster, and he cherishes your friendship above everything else.Until, one day, a young upstart by the name of Peter Parker moves into the Avengers Tower, and takes Loki’s position as the number one person in your life. Suddenly Loki realises that he may care more for you than he is actually willing to admit…





	1. Enter Mischief

**Author's Note:**

> Any writing prompts will be in bold.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Good afternoon. My name is Loki Laufeyson of Asgard. Perhaps you’ve heard of me?

Tony Stark was your only living relative, being your mother’s cousin. He’d been your legal guardian after your parents were killed in a car crash when you were twelve, and as your only family he had insisted that you move into Stark Tower with him. Since then, you’d met all of the Avengers, and had become good friends with them. You were especially fond of Steve, Clint and Thor.

After the Battle of New York, Stark Tower was renamed Avengers Tower and the majority of the team moved into the building as their permanent residence. Once Bucky, Sam and Scott had been officially added to the team, you’d adored them immediately.

The year you turned fifteen, the God of Thunder warned the Avengers that he was bringing his troublesome sibling back to Earth. Loki had been banished from Asgard by Odin, and had been ordered to remain under virtual house arrest on Earth to make amends until he was able to prove that he had changed his ways. He was to provide assistance to the Avengers and S.H.I.E.L.D. when required, and at all other times he was to generally make himself useful within the Tower, rather than a nuisance. Tony and most of the others were not convinced that it was a good idea, but Thor had advised that he had no choice in the matter, and as a result he would be responsible for his brother until such time as his banishment was reversed.

You had never had the pleasure of meeting the God of Mischief on his previous visit to Earth, as you’d been in England for a school trip when he’d attempted to take over the world. However, you most definitely heard about it on your return home. You’d heard such different accounts of Loki from everybody that you really had no idea what to think of him. Naturally, Tony was not fond of him, having been thrown out of the window of the Tower by the trickster during the Chitauri attack. You supposed that would sour anyone’s disposition towards the person who threw them out of said window. Clint was also unimpressed, having been mind-controlled by Loki during the same attack. Most of the others were similarly wary of the God. Thor was the only one who seemed to harbour any sort of fondness for his brother, although he was quick to advise that you should not put too much trust in Loki if you wished to retain some form of sanity.

Having never encountered Loki previously, you were naturally intrigued as to his personality. Your curiosity about the God of Mischief was eating away at you. You were practically bouncing out of your seat waiting for him to arrive. The whole team were awaiting his arrival, as none of them were particularly keen on the idea of you meeting Loki unsupervised, regardless of the fact that Thor would also be in attendance.

Suddenly, a flash of light on the helipad heralded the arrival of the two Asgardians via the Bifrost. The God of Thunder entered the Tower with his brother a few paces behind. You bounced off the lounge and jumped into Thor’s arms, giving him a loud kiss on the cheek. “Welcome back, Thor!”

Thor laughed and returned your greeting with an enthusiastic bear hug. “Greetings, little sister! I’ve missed you enormously.” He placed you back on the ground and grinned at you.

“So, where is the troublemaker?” you asked, trying to peek around Thor’s massive shoulders.

Loki stepped out from behind his brother. He took in your messy bun, oversized Nirvana t-shirt, ripped jeans and scuffed Converse. You weren’t exactly at your most presentable, yet there was something alluring about you. Your eyes were bright and sparkling with mischief, there was laughter in your voice, and you were not in the least bit intimidated by the tall god standing in front of you. He was very nearly as tall as Thor, which meant that you barely came up to his shoulder. Loki was captivated. Looking you up and down with a smirk, he muttered, “My, my, my. What do we have here?”

Looking Loki up and down with disdain, you replied, “A most notable coward, an infinite and endless liar, an hourly promise breaker, the owner of no one good quality.” It was a quote from Shakespeare’s _‘All’s Well That Ends Well’_ , which you just happened to be reading at that moment for an English Literature assignment. “But enough about you. I’m Y/N.” You grinned and held out your hand. The rest of the team held their breath, convinced that you were going to be struck dead on the spot for your impertinence.

Instead, Loki laughed and grasped your hand, brushing a kiss to your fingertips. “It’s a delight to meet you, Lady L/N. A most enchanting welcome.” His eyes glittered with mirth.

You snorted. “I’m no lady, Loki. You’ll find that out soon enough.”

Much to everybody’s horror, it was the start of a beautiful friendship.

******

 **“Stop that!”** cried Loki.

 **“Stop what?”** you asked with concern.

 **“Doing that thing with your face when you’re happy. It’s making me nauseous.”** Loki looked at you with an expression of extreme distaste on his face.

“You mean smiling?” You smiled widely in Loki’s direction. “Does this annoy you?” Your smile got even broader, if possible. Your voice became sugary sweet. “How could somebody being happy possibly annoy you? Happiness is contagious. I’m going to smile until the whole world is one big happy smiling family.” You gave Loki your most Cheshire Cat grin.

He shuddered. “You exist simply to torment me, don’t you?”

“I live but to serve, oh glorious one,” you intoned sarcastically.

Oh yes, Loki had definitely made the correct decision when he decided that you were his favourite mortal. Life was never boring when you were in the vicinity.

******

Loki was grumpier than usual. “What’s up with you, oh mischievous one?” you queried.

He sighed melodramatically. “I’m bored. I’ve run out of books to read. I’m not allowed to leave the Tower. The next season of Game of Thrones won’t be out for another year. I’m not allowed to stab anybody. Seriously, how am I supposed to cope if I can’t actually have any fun?” He pouted.

You went over to the trickster and put your arms around him. “Don’t worry, Loki, everything will be ok.”

Loki stiffened under your embrace. “Y/N, **what on earth are you doing?** Why are your arms around me?”

“ **It’s called a hug,** Loki,” you pulled away, looking at him.

“ **Disgusting.** ” He grinned at you. “ **Do it again.** ”

You laughed and hugged him again, and this time he hugged you back.

******

“What do you call this stuff again?” Loki was eyeing the small dark brown square suspiciously.

“It’s chocolate, Loki. Trust me, you’re going to want to try it.” You had been attempting to get Loki’s tastebuds used to Midgardian cuisine, but to date he’d resisted most things, deeming them unsuitable for an Asgardian prince. The only food he’d taken to so far with minimal grumbling had been lasagne, blueberry pancakes and, of all things, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

Loki picked up the chocolate and sniffed it. “No, I don’t think I will.”

“You are such a baby. Honestly, how did somebody like you nearly take over the world?”

He glared at you. “I know what you are doing, and it’s not going to work.”

Your eyes were wide and innocent. “I’m not sure what you think I’m doing, Loki, apart from trying to get you to try the most delicious thing in the entire world. But hey, if you don’t want it, then I’m sure Thor will be more than happy to have your share.”

That got Loki’s attention. “Thor eats this?” You nodded solemnly, although mentally you were smirking. A surefire way to get Loki to do something was to insinuate that Thor had already done it, and done it well. If Thor could eat chocolate, then Loki would make damn sure that he could too. “Alright, I suppose one teeny bite won’t kill me.”

You shrugged. “Well, it might. I mean, you’re not from Midgard so who knows how it will affect you?”

He paused with the chocolate halfway to his mouth, then narrowed his eyes. “You’re teasing me, aren’t you?”

You blinked at the god. “Would I do such a thing, oh Lord of Mischief?”

Loki glared at you once more, then practically inhaled the chocolate square. His eyes widened, and then he moaned in ecstasy. The sound he made was almost pornographic. “Oh my goodness! That is the most delicious thing I’ve ever tasted!”

You grinned. “I told you that you’d like it.”

“I need more.” He made grabby hands towards the chocolate bar, and flinched as you slapped his hands away.

“Oh no, you don’t! Not until you actually eat dinner. Eat a proper meal first, and then I’ll reward you with chocolate.”

The God of Mischief pouted like an actual five-year-old, but agreed reluctantly to join you and the rest of the team for dinner. If it meant that he would get more of that delicious chocolate, then Loki would suffer through whatever torture you deemed necessary.

******

“Mr Darcy is rather irksome, is he not?” Loki announced.

You were lying on the couch in the library, with your head in Loki’s lap. He played with your hair while you read _‘Pride and Prejudice’_ out loud. You looked up at your best friend, consternation written on your face. “Trickster, what on earth do you mean?”

“Well, he has a smug sense of superiority, and cannot see that Miss Elizabeth Bennet is obviously a far better sort of woman than Caroline Bingley.”

You rolled your eyes. “ _Of course_ he believes he’s superior. He’s of a much higher social standing than Elizabeth, and he’s been brought up to believe that he is superior to everybody else. How he’s treating her is perfectly natural considering the time they live in.”

“It’s ridiculous.”

You sat up and looked Loki in the eyes. “You do realise that you are pretty much a modern day equivalent of Mr Darcy, don’t you?” He stared at you in mock horror. You ticked off your points on your fingers. “You think you are so much better than everybody else, you treat all of us as if we were less than dirt, and you only seem to tolerate _my_ presence because I amuse you for some inexplicable reason.”

“Hmmmmmm. Perhaps you are correct. Everybody is so far beneath my notice it’s not worth commenting on. But I do more than tolerate you, kitten. You are my dearest friend and I cherish every moment I spend with you.”

“Uh huh,” you replied. “Flattery will get you nowhere. You need to understand that this entire tale is a social commentary by Jane Austen. She was making a satirical observation of the class divide. And Darcy and Lizzy are opposing sides of the same coin.”

Loki looked at you with interest. “How so?”

“Well, Darcy shows Elizabeth the inferiority of her family, how their actions and irresponsible behaviour bring both herself and Jane lower in his estimation, and so she learns to moderate her own behaviour accordingly. And Lizzy teaches Darcy that just because he’s of a superior social class, that it doesn’t mean that he can’t have a sense of fun. They bring out the best in each other, whilst complementing what is missing in the others’ personalities.”

The God of Lies considered what you had told him. “Alright, I concede that perhaps your beloved Mr Darcy may be slightly less intolerable than I had first surmised. I will retain an open mind until you finish your tale, and reserve my final judgment until then.”

“Your tolerance is appreciated,” you replied sarcastically. “Shall I continue, Mr Darcy?”

“Please do, Miss Elizabeth,” he grinned at you.

******

For the next two years, things continued in this vein. You and Loki spent most of your time together, reading to each other, pranking the other Avengers (mostly Tony) and mocking each other mercilessly. At first the rest of the team was horrified by your friendship with Loki. But eventually, they realised that he was completely different when he was around you than he had been with anyone else, even Thor.

When Loki was in your presence, he was lighthearted, sarcastic, playful and much more tolerant. At those times when he was separated from you for prolonged periods, he was moody, snarky and prone to deliberate acts of sabotage. It was unanimously agreed that it was probably in the best interests of the entire world that you stay close to the trickster in order to keep his homicidal tendencies in check.

Everything was going smoothly. Until the day that a new Avenger was announced. All of a sudden Loki’s world came crashing down.


	2. Spiderman, Spiderman, upsetting Loki like only he can

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony introduces the team to the newest Avenger – who you’ve apparently known for years.
> 
> We're also pretending that Civil War never happened.

“So, we have the newest team member joining us today. I’ve arranged a press conference to introduce him to the world as an Avenger but I want him to meet all of you first.” Tony smiled at all of you, awaiting the inevitable questions.

“What new team member? Does Fury know about this?” asked Steve.

Tony smirked. “Of course. He approved it.” Steve looked at him doubtfully. Tony’s phone buzzed. “Hey… oh yeah, Happy, bring him up.”

The elevator opened and Happy brought along a teenage boy with him. The others stared at the youngster, wondering what on earth Tony was doing bringing a kid into the team. “Well, girls and boys, I’d like to introduce you to the newest Avenger. Everybody, this is…”

 _“Peter Parker?”_ you cried, recognising the brown-haired boy standing next to Tony. “What the heck are you doing here?”

The boy looked startled. “Hey, Y/N! What are you doing here?”

“I live here, Peter. Why are _you_ here?”

“Um… Mr Stark said he was going to tell everyone...” Peter looked at Tony, rather like a deer in the headlights.

Tony was staring at you. “Y/N, how on earth do you know young Mr Parker?”

You rolled your eyes at your cousin. “He’s a senior at Midtown High. You know, the school that you insisted that I go to ‘because I’m so smart’? He’s a year above me.”

Natasha glared at Tony. “Stark, why are you bringing a high school kid into the team?”

“I’m not a kid! I’m nearly eighteen!” Peter was indignant.

Tony started ushering Peter towards the conference room. “No time to explain now, you’ll just have to wait for the press conference like everybody else. Later!” Trust Tony to pretend he had urgent matters to attend to in order to avoid answering difficult questions.

The others turned to you expectantly. “What? I don’t know why Peter’s here either.”

Clint asked, “How long have you known him?”

“Since I started high school, so about three years or so. Like I said, he’s a year above me so we’re not exactly friends. We don’t hang out or anything if that’s what you’re wondering. I just know who he is.”

“What’s he like?” queried Sam.

“Let’s see... Frighteningly intelligent. Huge dork. He seems nice enough, I mean he’s always been nice to me. A lot of the kids think he’s a bit of a loser. He gets bullied a lot by Flash but so does most of the school. I’ve always liked Peter, though.”

Bucky wanted to know how he could possibly be old enough to be an Avenger. “He looks like he’s twelve.” The others murmured their agreement.

Suddenly, the television linking the common room to the conference room turned on, signalling that Tony’s press conference was about to start. Everyone gathered around, eager to hear what Tony had to say.

“Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for coming along this afternoon. The Avengers Initiative has been running successfully for the past few years, and while our team has been achieving great results, the truth of the matter is that some members of the team are not getting any younger. Not me, obviously. I am, of course, referring to the hundred-year-old super-soldiers.”

There were a few chuckles amongst the crowd. “As such, it has been determined that we need to start recruiting some younger members when we feel it is appropriate. Therefore, I would like to introduce you to our newest Avenger. I present to you…” Cue drumroll for dramatic effect.

A familiar blue and red clad figure joined Tony at the podium, face covered by his mask. “Spiderman.”

“WHAT THE F…!” you shrieked.

******

“So, Peter, just how long have you been our friendly neighbourhood Spiderman?” You cornered your schoolmate as he left the conference room.

“Y/N…” Even with the mask on, Peter looked trapped, which was exactly the point. You didn’t want him wriggling away from your questions like Tony always seemed to do.

“No, seriously, how long? And how the hell have you managed to keep it a secret all this time? You have _the worst_ poker face of anybody I know.” You crossed your arms and tapped one foot, waiting for an answer.

“You’re not going to leave me alone until I answer you, are you?” Peter took off his mask and gave you a resigned look. You shook your head. He sighed. “Can we talk somewhere private? I’d really rather not have this conversation in the hallway of Avengers Headquarters.”

You dragged him into an empty office and locked the door. “Alright Parker, spill.”

He sighed again and gazed at you with those big brown eyes. “It happened when I was fourteen. I was on a field trip to OzCorp for biology, and I got bitten by a radioactive spider.” You stared at him in disbelief. “It’s true! I was really sick for about three days after I got bitten, and then suddenly once I’d recovered I discovered that I could climb walls and stick to the ceiling and do backflips and everything!”

“So you’re telling me that a spider bite was your version of the super-soldier serum?” He nodded. “Alright, say I believe you. If you’re suddenly so awesome, then why the hell don’t you fight back whenever Flash Thompson picks on you?”

“Come on Y/N, how do you think it would look if all of a sudden I started being able to defend myself when all throughout high school I’ve been Flash’s personal punching bag?” You had to admit he had a point; it _would_ look pretty suss.

“How do you shoot your webs? They don’t come out of your fingers, do they? Because that would just be gross.” You wrinkled your nose in disgust at the thought.

Peter snorted. “No! I created the web fluid myself, and designed the web shooters too. It took a lot of work, but I’ve finally got a design that I’m happy with.” He proudly showed you the black wristbands he wore around both wrists, and you noticed the buttons which activated his webs. It was impressive that he’d designed something so sophisticated at such a young age. No wonder Tony wanted him on the team.

You suddenly realised something. “Hang on a minute. So all of that talk about you having a ‘Stark internship’.” You rolled your eyes at the finger quotes. “That was just to cover up the fact that you’re Spiderman?” Peter nodded again. “Well, that explains why I’ve never seen you around the Tower before.”

“Alright, Y/N. If that answers your questions, how about you answer one of mine?” You couldn’t think what Peter could possibly want to know about you, but you shrugged. “How come you live in the Avengers Tower? Are you an Avenger too?”

You chuckled. “Not likely. Tony would never let me even consider joining until I’m at least eighteen, and even then he’ll probably veto it. Although I do help with logistics and hacking and security stuff occasionally. I’m Tony’s cousin. Well, sort of. He was my mother’s cousin. I’ve lived with him since I was twelve, after my parents died. He’s the only family I have.”

“So you’re a Stark?”

“I suppose so, on a technicality. I mean, my mother was a Stark. I’m a Y/L/N like my dad.”

Peter looked thoughtful. “I guess I can understand why you wouldn’t want anyone to know you were related to Tony. I mean, Flash would be all over you if he knew you were mega rich.”

You sighed. “Exactly. _Nobody_ can know I’m related to Tony Stark. I mean it, Peter.”

“Just like nobody can know that I’m really Spiderman. That’s why I wore the mask during the press conference. And also why Tony didn’t let me answer any questions.”

You laughed at that. “Everybody would have known you were a kid the minute you opened your mouth. Don’t worry Peter, your secret is safe with me.” You held out your pinky finger, and Peter gave you his to seal the deal. “So, does this mean you’re living here at the Tower from now on?”

Peter shrugged. “I guess. Tony said I have my own room here if I want it. Now that I’m an actual Avenger, Aunt May would probably let me move here if I asked.”

You knew Peter was close to his aunt; he’d been living with her since he was a kid. “Does she know about your alter ego?”

The boy looked embarrassed. “Yeah, she kind of walked in on me when I got home after a patrol one evening. I was still in my suit. Let’s just say she didn’t take it too well at first.”

You giggled at the thought. May Parker was notoriously overprotective of her nephew. “Well, if you’re staying here tonight I can show you around. I know which room has been assigned to you, and I can give you the grand tour if you like.”

Peter gave you an adorable lopsided grin. “That would be great. Aunt May knows I’ll be here tonight at least, so I should probably put my stuff away.”

“Alright, follow me.” You grabbed Peter’s hand and dragged him through the building to his room, which was across the hall and one room down from yours. It would be good to have someone your own age in the Tower. Pietro and Wanda were only a few years older than you, but sometimes the cultural differences were very apparent, and because the twins were in their early twenties, they occasionally treated you like a child. It would be nice to have someone to complain to about school and share similar experiences. Maybe Tony knew what he was doing by bringing Peter into the team.

******

“Are you freaking kidding me? There’s a pool? AND a games arcade?” Peter was running around like a kid in a candy store.

“Yep. Tony loves his toys. There’s also a theatre room where we have regular movie nights, and a ballroom but we hardly ever use that because according to Tony we are all uncultured peasants.”

You had been showing Peter around the Avengers Tower. He’d geeked out over the labs, naturally, and nearly passed out when he saw how many cars Tony had in the garage. He loved the gym, and his jaw dropped at the size of the library. He was giddy when he saw the size of his room - “It’s bigger than May’s apartment!” - and drooled over the amount of alcohol behind the bar in the sky lounge. It was better stocked than most of the fancy bars downtown, and both of you couldn’t wait until you were old enough to take advantage of it.

“Alright Spidey, I guess it’s time to introduce you to everybody else. Shall we?” You held out an arm, and he laughingly linked his with yours.

“Lead on, milady!”

******

Introducing Peter to the rest of the team was an interesting experience, to say the least. He fanboyed over Steve even harder than Agent Coulson had, and you knew for a fact that Coulson had Captain America pyjamas, as well as a Captain America teddy bear. Peter nearly fainted when he met Bucky, knowing that he’d been the Winter Soldier. However, he was much calmer when he was introduced to Sam.

When you took him to meet Clint and Natasha, his eyes nearly popped out of his head. He had just shaken hands with two master assassins and had lived to tell the tale. Ned would freak out when Peter told him. Peter thought Clint was very cool, and that Natasha was one of the most beautiful women he’d ever seen. She smirked at him, seeming to know exactly what he was thinking.

Pietro and Wanda greeted Peter warmly, happy to have another young person around. Peter expressed his sorrow over what had happened in Sokovia, and the twins hugged him gratefully, hearing the sincerity in his voice.

Scott laughed at having another “bug bro” on the team (“You do know that spiders are arachnids, not bugs, right Scott?”), and Bruce was happy to meet another science geek.

Meeting Thor just about killed Peter. The God of Thunder’s biceps were bigger than his head. And he was so tall! Luckily Thor was the friendliest person Peter had ever met, so he felt comfortable with him straight away.

Finally, you introduced him to Loki. The God of Mischief looked at him dismissively. “So, this is the Spiderling.”

You shot the trickster a warning look, but Peter didn’t seem too worried. “It’s nice to meet you, Mr Loki sir.” Peter held out his hand.

Loki looked puzzled. “Nice… to meet… _me?”_

“Well, yeah. I mean, sure, you tried to take over the world, but everybody makes mistakes. Thor and Y/N seem to think you’re ok so that’s good enough for me.”

Loki shook Peter’s hand. “You are a strange boy, Peter Parker.”

Peter grinned. “You have no idea.”


	3. Peter Parker Protection Squad (Total Members: You)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You and Peter start spending more time together at school, but not everyone is impressed by this development.

You walked up to Peter’s locker, where he was talking to his friend Ned, and tapped him on the shoulder. “Hey, Peter.”

Ned stared at you with his mouth open, while Peter turned to you with a smile. “Hi, Y/N. How’s everything?”

“Good. Hey, are you free this afternoon? I need some help with my trigonometry homework, and you’re pretty much the only person I know who can explain it in a way that makes actual sense.”

“Sure. Did you want to come back to my place? I’m pretty sure Aunt May would be happy to see you.”

“Why don’t we meet up after school and we can figure it out then? Maybe we can pick up a sandwich from Delmar’s on the way.”

Peter beamed. “That sounds great! I’ll meet you out the front after school.”

“Cool. Later, Parker!” You waved as you headed off to class.

Peter turned to head to Spanish. Ned stared at him in astonishment. “Peter, was that Y/N Y/L/N?”

“Yeah, why?” 

“Isn’t she a junior?”

Peter looked at his friend. “What’s your point, Ned?”

Ned shrugged. “I didn’t know you were friends with her.”

“Well, we found out that we have some stuff in common, and she’s pretty cool. She’s got a wicked sense of humour.” Peter grinned, remembering the look of disgust on Bruce’s face once he realised that you’d replaced the sugar with salt after he’d added about six teaspoons of it to his morning coffee. “Plus, she’s brilliant at helping me remember history stuff better, and I help her with trig. It’s a mutually beneficial friendship.”

“How did you meet her anyway? I mean, she’s a year younger than us, it’s not like you have any classes together. And she’s a band geek, not a science one.”

“Um, I got assigned to tutor her. She needed help with trigonometry and apparently I was the only person that she clicked with.” Peter couldn’t exactly admit that he knew you through the Avengers, after you’d both promised to keep the secrets about each others identities. Even though Ned knew about Peter being Spiderman, he didn’t know you were related to Tony and lived at Avengers Headquarters, and it wasn’t really Peter’s place to tell anyone.

Ned sighed. “She’s such a babe.”

Peter agreed. “Yeah, she’s pretty adorable. And super nice with it.”

Neither boy noticed that Flash Thompson had watched the entire interaction with you, and he was not pleased about it. Not pleased at all.

******

Peter called out to you in the cafeteria, waving you over to his table. “Hey Y/N!” You came over, smiling at his friends Ned and Michelle. “Do you want to join us?”

You looked at him. “Are you sure?” You’d never hung out at school before, and given that he’d only been an official Avenger for about two weeks you hadn’t really spent a great deal of time together.

“Of course, sit down.” He scooted over to make room for you on the bench. “Ned, MJ, this is Y/N Y/L/N. She’s pretty cool.” MJ grunted what seemed to be a greeting at you, and Ned shook your hand eagerly. You laughed. Ned was a huge dork but he seemed sweet. You figured if he was friends with Peter then he’d have to be a nice person.

Peter was looking at his lunch in disgust. “Honestly, what do they do to this stuff? How the hell can you mess up Jell-O? I’m positive it would bounce if you dropped it.”

You giggled. The food in the cafeteria was pretty awful, and was a constant source of mockery for most of the students. “I’m pretty sure it’s sentient. Look, it’s waving at me.” You poked your lunch with a fork, pulling a face.

“Maybe we could make flubber out of it, like in that really old movie with Robin Williams, and it would probably have as much nutritional value,” joked Ned. You laughed out loud at that, making a few people look in your direction. You decided that you liked Ned a lot.

Suddenly a shadow fell over the table. You looked up to see Flash standing over you. “So, Penis Parker, you can’t get a girl your own age to pay attention to you, so now you’ve got to resort to paying little kids to sit with you?”

Peter turned red, whether out of embarrassment or anger you couldn’t really tell. You glared at Flash. “Get lost, Flash. Who I spend my time with is none of your business.”

Flash grabbed your arm. “Why don’t you come sit with me instead of these losers? I’m sure we could have a lot of fun.”

“If you don’t let go of my arm, you’re going to regret it.”

Flash laughed. “What are you going to do about it, little girl?”

You stood up suddenly, grabbing his wrist and flipping him over your shoulder. Years of training with Nat and Clint came in handy after all. As Flash lay gasping on the floor, you kept a firm hold of his wrist. “If you ever lay a hand on me again without my permission, I will break every bone in your hand. Got it?”

He nodded, and hastily got up and left. There was a smattering of applause throughout the cafeteria. Peter, Ned and MJ were staring at you with open-mouthed admiration.

“That was _so cool!”_ cried Ned. “You’re beautiful AND vicious!”

“I guess he didn’t know about me being a black belt,” you grinned.

******

From that day on, you always got together at lunch with Peter, Ned and MJ (or the Three Musketeers as you’d dubbed them), and you became great friends with all of them. MJ was just as sarcastic as you, and Ned was an absolute sweetheart. You adored both of them and were glad that you had gained their friendship.

But Peter rapidly became your best friend. The two of you soon became practically inseparable, and you didn’t care that people thought you were a loser for hanging out with him. Every minute that you weren’t in class was spent in each other’s presence, discussing anything and everything. You bonded over a shared love of all things ridiculous, and a mutual loathing of the AP chemistry teacher. You developed your own secret handshake, so that it was separate from the one Peter shared with Ned. The two of you giggled over shared inside jokes that nobody else was privy to, and gossiped about the older Avengers. Peter was convinced that Steve and Bucky were in love with each other, and he nearly died when you mentioned that Natasha was in love with Bruce, as he’d been certain that she was involved with Clint. The two of you became so close that rumours were starting to spread throughout the school that you were more than just friends, a fact that both of you were completely unaware of.

However, the more time you spent with him, the more Flash tormented Peter. Flash had never paid a great deal of attention to you before, apart from the odd occasion of hitting on you like he did with most of the female population of the school. But the fact that you obviously preferred Peter’s company to his, or anybody else’s, was not something he could tolerate. Flash was not used to losing out to Peter Parker under any circumstances. He went out of his way to make the poor boy’s life miserable, and he increased his renewed pursuit of you. You knew the only reason Flash was interested in you was because of your friendship with Peter, but rather than having the desired effect of making you feel flattered enough that you would agree to go out with him, it just made you want to kick him down the stairs.

It became almost a daily occurrence that Flash would attack Peter, and in response you would beat up Flash. The amount of time you were spending in detention was soon noticed by the rest of the team, and Steve and Tony in particular were extremely disappointed in you.

“Y/N, I know that you’re sticking up for Peter, but if your schoolwork is suffering because of detention then maybe you should just let him fight his own battles,” Steve advised.

You rolled your eyes. “That’s the problem, Cap. Peter refuses to defend himself because he knows that he could seriously hurt Flash, maybe even kill him, if he fought back. I don’t have superpowers, so it’s not that big a deal if I stick up for him.”

Tony focused his gaze on you. “You may not have superpowers, but you have been trained for years by a pair of master assassins and a couple of super-soldiers. You have a distinct advantage over this boy and you need to take a step back.”

“So I’m supposed to just let Flash beat Peter to a pulp? That’s great, Tony. Peter can just continue to be his punching bag and I’ll provide everybody with the popcorn.” You scowled at your cousin and Steve. Avengers were supposed to defend people, and here they were telling you to let it go.

Steve sighed. “Look, I understand where you’re coming from, really I do. I was exactly like you before I got the serum. I would just jump headlong into a fight without thinking it all the way through. But there are times when you have to walk away.”

You scoffed. “Please, Steve, you’ve never walked away from a fight in your life. Peter doesn’t have anybody else at school who stands up for him. He needs me.” Your shoulders slumped. “It breaks my heart that he’s suffering because of his friendship with me. The bullying was never this bad before we became friends. It’s all my fault.”

Tony gave you a quick hug. “Nonsense. This Flash kid is obviously a jerk. He’d find a way to pick on Peter regardless. Just… maybe avoid reacting to him for a few days, huh? See if it makes any difference?”

You left Steve and Tony, and headed back to your room. On the way you ran into Loki. You hadn’t spent much time with the trickster over the past few weeks, and he’d missed your company. “Perhaps Stark and the Captain are right, Y/N. Maybe you need to spend less time with the Spiderling.”

Groaning in exasperation, you muttered, “Not you too, Loki. Honestly, I thought you of all people would understand what it’s like to be humiliated for no good reason.”

He grabbed your arm. “Your friendship with the boy is beginning to cause you to suffer. I do not like that.”

You freed your arm from his grasp. “That’s not for you to decide. Or Steve, or Tony, or anybody else. I decide who my friends are, and how I spend my time with them, and if I choose to defend someone I care about then that is also my decision.”

You stalked off to your room and slammed the door, leaving the God staring after you miserably. Your friendship with the Spider-brat was nothing but trouble. Loki was convinced of that.

******

“I’m sorry I bit you… and pulled your hair… and punched you in the face.” It was clear to everybody present that your apology to Flash was completely insincere. It probably didn’t help that you were quoting _Lilo and Stitch._

“Miss Y/L/N, you broke Mr Thompson’s nose by hitting him with a lunch tray.” The headmaster glared at you. Flash would have glared as well, but his nose was so swollen that he couldn’t focus properly.

This time, Flash had not only attacked Peter, but Ned as well. Then he had turned his attentions on MJ and you had snapped. You were sick and tired of the sexual harassment and the constant bullying of your friends. You’d grabbed a lunch tray and had smashed it into his face, before punching him repeatedly. It had taken both Peter and Ned to pull you off Flash before you did even more damage to him.

As Tony was your family, he had been called to the school to deal with your latest misdemeanour. So much for nobody finding out that you were a Stark. He pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. Despite all of his wealth and connections, this was most likely the last straw. You’d been in trouble too many times recently for him to buy your way out of this.

“I’m sorry, Miss Y/L/N but your track record over the past few months has been appalling. Despite your previously exemplary academic record, the constant detentions have put a serious blemish on things. This is a school that does not tolerate violence in any capacity.”

You snorted derisively. “Right, that’s why Flash is allowed to constantly attack students smaller than himself, such as Peter Parker, or sexually harass people such as myself, without any sort of repercussion. Heaven forbid somebody actually defends themselves against that type of behaviour.”

Tony glared at you. “Y/N, I suggest you keep your mouth shut before you make this worse.”

“Or what, Tony? What will you do that is worse than them kicking me out of school, or Flash continuously harassing me and Peter? You know what, I don’t even care what you do to me. All I know is that I can’t stand to be somewhere that allows a bully like him,” pointing at Flash, “to get away with his torment of my best friend without some sort of consequence. If that means that I get expelled, then so be it.” You got up and stormed out of the office, leaving Tony to deal with an agitated headmaster.

Peter was waiting outside for you. He wrapped his arms around you in a big hug. “I’m sorry you’re getting into so much trouble because of me,” he whispered.

“Don’t be ridiculous, Peter. None of this would be happening if Flash had ever been dealt any sort of punishment for how he treats everyone. It’s not your fault.” Tears of frustration stung your eyes as you clung to Peter.

Tony didn’t look at either of you as he left the headmaster’s office. You both trailed after him quietly, holding hands. It was a long, uncomfortable silence as Happy drove the three of you back to the Tower.


	4. Help, I seem to have developed feelings and I don’t know how to make them stop

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter and the others help you deal with the fallout of your expulsion from school. Loki handles things about as well as you’d expect.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Writing prompts are in bold.

**“OK, what did I do?”** Peter stood in front of Loki.

“What do you mean?” The god’s eyes never left the copy of _‘Wuthering Heights’_ that he was reading.

Peter gulped. **“You look like you want to kill me.”**

**“Sorry, that’s just the way my face works,”** Loki deadpanned, attempting to return his attention to his book.

Peter shook his head. “This is about Y/N, isn’t it? You’re upset that she got expelled from school.”

Loki sighed and put his book down. “Yes, well, the fact of the matter is that if it hadn’t been for you, she would be able to continue her education. Her friendship with you has been detrimental to her academic career. Who knows how this is going to affect her in the future? So yes, I’m rather, how do you Midgardians put it… oh yes, ‘pissed off’ with you, young Mr Parker.”

“It’s not my fault! She was defending me from another boy who bullies everybody and never gets in trouble! I don’t think it’s fair that she got expelled either. Flash gets away with everything, and Y/N is suffering because she has an even bigger sense of injustice than Captain America does.”

“Regardless, none of this would have happened if you had not been friends with her. She never had to deal with that sort of behaviour before you became an Avenger.” Loki was more upset at the fact that your growing friendship with Peter had meant that you had less time for the Asgardian, but he was not willing to admit to himself that he was jealous. Jealousy meant feelings, and Loki didn’t really do feelings. Feelings were for the weak.

“So you do blame me,” Peter said sadly.

“Correct. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’d like to finish reading this riveting tale.”

It was a dismissal if ever Peter had heard one.

******

You stormed up to Loki as he was in the library, and grabbed the book he was reading out of his hands. You stood in front of him with your hands on your hips. “Peter is convinced that you are going to kill him.”

“Why would the Spider-child believe I wish to kill him?” Loki inquired innocently.

“Gee, I’m not sure, Loki. Let me think. Oh, I know! It probably has something to do with the fact that you keep looking at him like you want to kill him!”

The trickster stared at you with his piercing emerald gaze. “Darling, I think you might be exaggerating just a tad.”

“Loki,” you seethed. “You need to stop blaming Peter for what happened to me.”

Loki put his hands on his hips, unconsciously mirroring your stance. “If it wasn’t for your friendship with that boy, you would not have been removed from your school. Your relationship with him has caused you nothing but trouble.”

“No, it hasn’t! If anything, his friendship with _me_ is what made this whole thing escalate in the first place. Peter has always been teased by Flash, but there was never anything particularly malicious about it _until_ our friendship became obvious. THAT was when it became violent. Flash had never been physical with Peter until I became his friend. So if anybody is to blame, it is me.”

The god stared at you in astonishment. “Are you saying that you think you deserve what happened?”

You rolled your eyes. “Loki, I had been warned on more than one occasion that if I continued to be violent towards Flash, then I would be expelled. I warned everybody that unless Flash left Peter alone, I would continue to defend him as I saw fit. Nobody listened. So I knew the consequences of my actions, and I continued down that path anyway, because Peter deserves to be treated better than he has been, and he needs to know that at least one person in that school thinks he’s worth standing up for. I would do the same for anybody that is important to me.” You glared at the god in front of you. “I would have done the same for you if necessary.”

Loki couldn’t argue that point. You had taken his part on more than one occasion when the other Avengers were being particularly stubborn regarding his movements outside of the Tower, reminding them that he had been on his best behaviour since arriving back on Midgard. He’d appreciated the fact that you had been loyal to him when you felt it was required, although you also had no hesitation in telling Loki if you felt that he had ever been out of line.

You sighed in exasperation. “Loki, you need to stop treating Peter like crap. He feels bad enough about what happened. It’s not his fault. Stop blaming him.”

“And if I can’t?”

“Then I’m not sure I can be friends with you anymore.”

The god blinked at you in disbelief. “You would end your friendship with me because I feel the Spiderling is to blame for your expulsion?”

“No. I would end it because I can’t be friends with anyone who treats somebody that is obviously important to me with such disrespect. Peter is my best friend, and you need to accept that.”

Loki felt his stomach drop. _He_ had been your best friend for the past two years, and now he had to share you with that boy. It was insufferable. “I will never accept your friendship with that child. I refuse to believe that anything good will come of it.”

You looked at him sadly. “That’s funny. Everybody said the exact same thing about my friendship with you. Looks like they were right.”

You walked off, leaving the god staring mournfully after you.

******

A few weeks after your expulsion from school, things had mostly returned to normal. Your friendship with Loki was still strained, but the rest of the team had helped you deal with the aftermath of being kicked out of school as best they could. Bruce encouraged you to help him in the lab, and promised to assist you with as much schoolwork as possible once you commenced your classes online. Tony eventually came around, and allowed you to sit in the workshop with him while he was designing yet another Iron Man suit.

Steve, Bucky and Sam all took care of your exercise routine, ensuring that you stayed on top of your fitness. Sam especially wanted to make sure that you kept active, knowing that it would help lessen the chances of you becoming depressed at the way things had turned out. Although disappointed at the inevitable outcome, Steve had actually supported you in your continued efforts to protect Peter, despite his earlier protests. He knew what it was like to be bullied, and had always appreciated the fact that he had Bucky to look out for him, so he understood your reasons for sticking up for Peter. Bucky was inordinately proud of you, and wasted no time in telling you that he thought you had done the right thing by sticking to your principles and defending Peter.

The twins were fantastic. They made sure you left Headquarters regularly, binge watched entire TV series with you ( _Stranger Things_ was a particular favourite) and provided you with copious amounts of junk food. Wanda also helped you to meditate, and Pietro insisted on telling terrible jokes to make you laugh.

Clint and Natasha offered to ‘sort out’ Flash. You told them in no uncertain terms that they were not allowed to kill anyone unless it was on official Avengers business. Clint sulked. Natasha just reminded you that she could make it official Avengers business if necessary.

Scott brought his daughter Cassie to visit as often as he could, knowing how much you loved the little girl. Spending the day watching Disney movies, playing with Barbie dolls, having tea parties and dressing up as a princess always put a smile on your face. You enjoyed the fact that you could act like a kid and nobody would care. Cassie was like the little sister you’d always wanted. Thor quite often joined in with these escapades. He loved tea parties and was not afraid to dress up like a princess in order to please Cassie, whom he adored almost as much as you and Scott did. The sight of Thor sitting cross legged on the floor, with a plastic teacup in hand and a bejewelled tiara adorning his blond locks, was one of the most popular images on your Instagram account.

And Peter… well, there was a reason he had become your favourite person in the world. He brought MJ and Ned to the Tower at least once a week so you could keep in contact with your friends; he had movie marathons with you every weekend; he made sure that there was always a tub of your favourite ice cream in the freezer; and he made you laugh. Every day, he did something outrageous in the hopes that you would snort juice out of your nose when you laughed. Peter was a born actor, doing hilarious impressions of the other Avengers, although he had some difficulty with Thor and Loki – the Asgardian accent was not an easy one to master. He joined you in the lab to work on projects together. At training, he often sparred with you as physically he wasn’t much taller than you, although he was much stronger than you were. In general, Peter did anything and everything he could think of to cheer you up and remind you that you had people who cared about you.

The more time you spent with him, the closer the two of you became. You both had a very similar sense of humour, and also a similar outlook on life. Gradually, so slowly that neither of you really noticed, you became much more physically affectionate with each other. You held hands constantly, fingers intertwined, occasionally kissing each other’s fingertips. You sat next to each other at every opportunity. He would often press a kiss to your temple, and you’d kiss his cheek absentmindedly. When watching movies, you both snuggled together, limbs entwined so that it was almost impossible to tell where one of you ended and the other began. Peter would trace patterns on your back as he held you, and you would play with his hair. He would lie down with his head in your lap as you read out loud. He sat on the floor in front of you while you massaged his scalp. Whenever the two of you went anywhere together, Peter would drape an arm across your shoulders and you would wrap your arms around his waist as you walked. All of these gestures were unconscious, and yet the only ones completely oblivious of them were you and Peter. Everybody else noticed and thought it was absolutely adorable.

Except for Loki.

Whenever Loki saw the two of you together, he felt a pain in his chest. He had initially refused to admit it, especially to himself, but he’d come to see you as more than a friend over the previous two years. He had believed that you harboured similar feelings toward himself. And yet you had never looked at him with as much undisguised adoration as you did with Peter. Your face never lit up from within at the mere sight of him like it did whenever Peter entered the room. Loki cared for you much more than even he had realised, but it had taken the arrival of Peter Parker to make him aware of that fact. And now it was too late. Watching the way you and Peter interacted, the God of Lies realised far too late that he was in love with you. And he knew without a shadow of a doubt that you would never care for him in the same way as you did for the Spiderling.

If Loki actually had a heart, that realisation might just have broken it.


	5. All hail the Tumblr gods

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You and Peter bond further over a love of pranks and My Little Pony.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The majority of this chapter is inspired by memes or Tumblr posts I’ve seen that I thought would fit well with this fic.

The team were surprised to find you and Peter already having breakfast, considering it had only just turned 7am on a Saturday morning. Usually, the two of you had to be dragged out of bed kicking and screaming in order to get ready for school or training. Instead, here you both were, already dressed, half eaten toast forgotten, giggling away over some inside joke that only the two of you had knowledge of.

“What are you up to?” asked Natasha.  
  
Two pairs of eyes were wide with feigned innocence. “I’m sure I don’t know what you’re talking about, Natasha,” you replied sweetly. Peter could hardly contain his mirth.  
  
Nat’s eyes narrowed. “The two of you are never up this early. What gives?”  
  
“Nothing, absolutely nothing. We just decided that we should try to be more disciplined like the rest of you. You know, seeing as we’re practically grownups now.”

“Yeah,” added Peter. “I’m sick of getting the Eyebrows of DisappointmentTM from Steve every time we’re late for something.” That just made both of you start giggling again. You’d been practicing the Eyebrows of Disappointment for weeks, but neither of you could quite master the same exasperated expression that Steve frequently wore in your presence. 

Right on cue, in walked Steve, looking for you and Peter. “OK, training time. Are you ready, kids?”

 “Aye aye, Captain!” Peter saluted. He glanced at you expectantly.

“I can’t hear you!” you cried, cupping an ear with one hand and leaning towards Peter.

“AYE AYE, CAPTAIN!” Peter yelled even louder. The rest of the team stared at you in bewilderment.

“Ooooooooooh, who lived as a Capsicle under the sea?” you sang as you danced around the kitchen.

“Cap-tain Rog-ers!” Peter sang back with undisguised glee.

“Saluting a hello and killing Nazis!”

“Cap-tain Rog-ers!”

“If patriotism be something you wish!”  
  
“Cap-tain Rog-ers!”  
  
“Then drop on the deck and flop like a fish!”  
  
“Cap-tain Rog-ers!” The two of you collapsed on the floor, holding each other, laughing hysterically while Steve just looked at the two of you with a resigned expression on his face.  
  
Clint looked confused. “Did they… was that… did they just sing the _‘Spongebob Squarepants’_ theme song? About Steve?”

Tony sighed. “I think it was a mistake to let these two live in the same building.” Nobody disagreed with that sentiment.

“If you two are quite finished,” Steve growled, “then it’s time to get into the training room. Looks like you’ve got a ton of energy to burn off, so we’d better get onto that.”  
  
“Oooh, you kids are gonna get your asses kicked!” crowed Sam.

“Worth it!” you and Peter cried out as you followed Steve to the gym, still clinging to each other, tears of mirth still rolling down your faces.

******

“Alright, who thought it was a good idea to change my ringtone again?” Tony asked irritably as he stalked into the lab, where you and Peter were assisting Bruce. “Honestly, wasn’t it bad enough when it was changed to _Pinky and the Brain_?” For some reason, your cousin’s gaze focused on you and your best friend.  
  
“Why are you looking at us?” Peter queried.  
  
“Because the only ones in this building that are smart enough to hack into my phone are Bruce, Natasha, and you two. And somehow, I don’t think either Nat or Bruce would find it funny to make my ringtone the theme song to _The Big Bang Theory_.”  
  
Bruce shrugged. “I dunno, I think that’s a little bit funny.” He winked at the two of you, causing Peter to snort softly. 

“Alright, fine, it was us. Peter and I did it,” you admitted.

Peter whacked your arm. “Y/N! Seriously, you couldn’t have lasted longer than thirty seconds under interrogation? No wonder they won’t let you be an Avenger.”  
  
You quirked an eyebrow at your friend. “Why bother denying it? It’s not like he didn’t know it was us.”  
  
Tony gave you his StarkPhone. “Change it back.”

You tapped a few keys. “Done.” You gave the phone back to Tony.  
  
“Thank you, dear cousin. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to head out to a meeting.” As Tony walked off, his phone rang.  
  
You and Peter fell off your chairs, howling with laughter, as the _Doofenschmirtz Evil Incorporated_ jingle started playing.

****** 

The others looked alarmed as you came running into the common room screaming. “Where’s the fire, Y/N?” asked Sam.  
  
You waved your arms frantically. “There’s a freaking HUGE spider in my room and now I need to burn down the entire building.”  
  
Bucky scoffed. “I’m sure it’s not that big, doll.”  
  
“It was the biggest spider I’ve ever seen. I’m not going back in there.” You had tears in your eyes which Steve and Bucky, in particular, were always helpless against.  
  
“Fine. I’ll go get rid of the big scary spider for ya, babe.” Bucky sauntered to your bedroom, with you trailing fearfully behind him. “Where was it?”  
  
“On the ceiling,” you whispered.  
  
Bucky looked up and… “BOO!” There was a huge scream, followed by crashing as Bucky fell over your couch in an attempt to scramble out of the way.

Peter snickered as he hung upside down from your bedroom ceiling. “You should have seen your face, Bucky!”

“I told you it was the biggest spider I’d ever seen.” You threw the super-soldier an evil grin.  
  
Bucky stalked out of your room, grumbling about kids these days, while you and Peter collapsed on your bed, doubled over with mirth.

****** 

Peter looked confused. “OK, so remind me again why Director Fury would be Princess Celestia?”  
  
“Because he’s the one who gathered all the heroes together in the first place, and arranges all the meetings, and you only see one eye at a time.” You stated this as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

“Right, so then who is Applejack?” Peter pointed to the chart you were making.  
  
“Thor, of course. Blonde hair, big heart, loves his sibling, weird accent.”

Peter agreed with this assessment. “OK, so then that would mean Tony is Pinky Pie. Because he does whatever he wants, whenever he wants, and doesn’t need a reason for doing it. And he definitely doesn’t care what anybody else thinks.”  
  
“Yeah, that fits.” You glued Tony’s picture next to that of Pinky Pie. “Alright, so who do you think Steve would be?”  
  
Peter pondered for a moment, then snapped his fingers. “He would absolutely be Twinkle Starlight. The reluctant team leader because he doesn’t really like being in charge. Plus, he’s not used to the modern lifestyle, but he’s coping better than expected.”

You looked through the list. “I’ve got Bruce down as Fluttershy. He’s quiet and shy, but still sweet and lovely, although you really don’t want to see him angry.”  
  
“True. Who did you put for Black Widow?”  
  
“Rainbow Dash, naturally. She’s the one who’s totally awesome at everything and kicks butt while doing it. And still manages to look cute.”

“Do you think Clint would be Rarity then? Because he always pays attention to the little details in everything.”  
  
You nodded. “That would work. And I put Agent Coulson down as Spike, because let’s face it, everybody loves him.”

Looking over the list again, Peter asked, “Have we left anybody out?”  
  
You giggled. “It’s probably a bit mean, but I had Loki as Discord. He causes chaos and mischief everywhere he goes, he still wants all of us to kneel down before him, plus his helmet has horns.”  
  
Scott had been listening to your entire conversation with a sort of morbid fascination. “Peter, I never picked you for a Brony.”  
  
Peter snorted. “Dude, do you have any idea how many episodes of _My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic_ we had to watch with Cassie the last time she was here? I know pretty much everything there is to know about My Little Ponies.”

“Dare I ask why both of you are comparing Earth’s mightiest heroes to My Little Ponies?” Scott queried.  
  
“Because we’ve already sorted everybody into Hogwarts houses,” you replied. 

“Of course you have.”

You glared at Peter. “I still think Steve should be a Slytherin. He would absolutely use whatever means necessary to achieve his end goal.”

“Agree to disagree. He’s a Gryffindor, and we all know the Sorting Hat on Pottermore doesn’t lie.” Peter looked at you, then clapped his hands together and cried, “Oh! Now we should sort everyone by D&D alignment.” 

You nodded eagerly. “OK, well Coulson is obviously True Neutral, and Loki is _definitely_ Chaotic Evil….” 

Scott decided he really needed to find somewhere else to be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Captain America/Spongebob meme: https://www.memecenter.com/fun/1501481/spongebob-theme-song-captain-america-style
> 
> The Avengers as My Little Ponies meme: https://cheezburger.com/6340222976?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+MyLittleBrony+(My+Little+Brony)


	6. That’s a stupid idea. Count me in.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You remind Peter that there are still people who care about him after he has been bullied yet again, and he makes a very big decision about his future.
> 
> Prompts in bold.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey lovely people! I start my four week teaching practicum next week, so updates will most likely now be on Saturdays rather than mid-week. It's going to be busy, but I'm looking forward to it!
> 
> I've got most of this story fleshed out, so updates shouldn't be delayed too much :)

Peter came back from school with another black eye and a split lip. You dragged him into your room to clean him up before the others saw him. “Flash again?”  
  
“Who else?” Peter held the ice pack to his eye while you cleaned up his lip. “Honestly, I can’t wait to graduate so that I never have to see him again.” He hissed in pain as you wiped the blood from his lip with a damp cloth.  
  
“Did you want me to beat him up again? Or better yet, why don’t you just beat him up yourself?”  
  
“You know why I can’t do that.” You sighed. Peter was adamant that nobody could know he was Spiderman, which meant that he couldn’t suddenly start defending himself when he’d spent his entire life being the weakling. It infuriated you. “He’s been getting worse since you left school. I wish you’d come back.”  
  
“Seriously? I got expelled from school for beating Flash up all the time, simply because I was defending you. There is absolutely no way they will let me back.”  
  
Peter flopped back onto your bed. “I’m just sick of being the loser. Even for a school full of nerds, I’m like the biggest loser there is.”

“Dude, you do remember that I was in band, don’t you? _And_ that I was a theatre nerd. As well as a Shakespeare fangirl. I was like the queen of the loser brigade.”  
  
“Yeah, but at least you stood up for yourself. I’m the meek geek who just sits there and takes it all.” He sighed morosely.  
  
“Peter, sweetie, one day the geeks are going to inherit the earth. And you will be their king.” He looked at you from his one good eye, disbelieving. You grabbed him by the hand and dragged him to the common room, sitting him down on the couch and grabbing the guitar that Tony had bought for you a few years ago. “OK Parker, I’m just going to remind you that you are not a loser. And if you are, then you’re a loser like me, and we are going to do amazing things in the future because we’re freaking Avengers and we’re going to carry on the legacy of Tony Stark and Bruce Banner, who are the nerd gods.”

You started to play one of the songs that always cheered you up when you were finding things hard.

_Low_   
_When you're feeling low_   
_And you just don't know where to run to_   
_Broke_   
_If your heart's been broke_   
_And you feel like you're all alone_   
_If you need something to believe in_   
_If you're looking for a light to guide you home_   
_Just look inside_   
_You're light a shining brighter than you know_   
_You should know_

_I'm never gonna let you down_   
_I'm always gonna build you up_   
_And when you're feeling lost_   
_I will always find you love_   
_I'm never gonna walk away_   
_I'm always gonna have your back_   
_And if nothing else you can always count on that_   
_When you need me_   
_I promise I will never let you down_

Peter sat cross-legged next to you, gazing at you intently as you played.

_Laugh_   
_I will make you laugh_   
_If you ever feel like crying_   
_Close_   
_I will hold you close_   
_You won't be alone anymore_   
_If you need someone to believe in_   
_If you're reaching for a hand to guide you home_   
_Just take my hand and I won't let you go_   
_I hope you know_

_I'm never gonna let you down_   
_I'm always gonna build you up_   
_And when you're feeling lost_   
_I will always find you love_   
_I'm never gonna walk away_   
_I'm always gonna have your back_   
_And if nothing else you can always count on that_

_I'm never gonna let you down_   
_I'm always gonna build you up_   
_And when you're feeling lost_   
_I will always find you love_   
_I'm never gonna walk away_   
_I'm always gonna have your back_   
_And if nothing else you can always count on that_   
_When you need me_   
_I promise I will never let you down_

Neither of you noticed that Steve, Bucky, Bruce and Scott had entered the common room as you sang. You were concentrating on your playing, and Peter’s attention was focused solely on you.

_Ain't never gonna let you down_

_If you need something to believe in_   
_If you feel you've reached the end of the road_   
_Don't be afraid, I'll always guide you home_   
_You should know_

_I'm never gonna let you down_   
_I'm always gonna build you up_   
_And when you're feeling lost_   
_I will always find you love_   
_I'm never gonna walk away_   
_I'm always gonna have your back_   
_And if nothing else you can always count on that_

_I'm never gonna let you down_   
_I'm always gonna build you up_   
_And when you're feeling lost_   
_I will always find you love_   
_I'm never gonna walk away_   
_I'm always gonna have your back_   
_And if nothing else you can always count on that_   
_When you need me_   
_I promise I will never let you down_   
_Ain't never going let you down_   
_Ain't never going let you down_

The soft applause of the others startled you. “That was great, Y/N,” said Bruce.  
  
“Thanks, Bruce,” you blushed. “I was just trying to remind Peter that not everybody thinks he’s a loser. And even if he is one now, he’s going to be amazing once he’s out in the big wide world.”

“Exactly. I mean, look at Steve. I remember what a loser this punk was before he got turned into a super-soldier,” laughed Bucky.

Steve punched Bucky’s flesh arm, muttering, “Shut up, jerk.”

Scott came over and hugged both of you, which turned into a group hug as the others joined him. “We’re all losers in our own way, but put us together and we are awesome. Just remember that.”  
  
“Yeah, we love you guys,” said Steve. “And if you need us to sort this kid out, just say the word.”

As the others went their separate ways, you pulled Peter into another hug and gave him a kiss on the cheek. “Don’t you ever forget this, Peter. You are not a loser. You are the best person I know, and you make this world a better place just by being in it. Never forget that we all love you.”  
  
“I love you, too,” he said softly. Only he wasn’t just talking about the team.

******

Peter came barging into your room the next morning. “I’ve got the perfect solution!”  
  
You blinked sleepily from the comfort of your bed. “To which particular problem?”  
  
“The whole Flash thing.” Peter was practically bursting at the seams with excitement.

You frowned. “What on earth are you talking about, Peter?”  
  
“Well, because you got expelled for sticking up for me, I think it’s only fair that I stand by you. So I’m quitting school.”

That woke you up. “I’m sorry, it sounded an awful lot like you just said that you were quitting school.”  
  
“Yep. I’m going to do the home schooling thing with you.”  
  
You shook your head. “No way. That is a terrible idea, Peter. You are so close to graduating! Do you really want to throw that all away?”  
  
He sat on your bed and grabbed your hands. “I miss you, Y/N. School is excruciating without you there. I can’t stand it. I’d rather repeat senior year, and go through it all again with you, than spend one more minute at Midtown without you.” 

There was absolutely no way that Tony, Steve or Bruce would let Peter throw away his future like this. And yet, part of you rejoiced at the thought of spending every waking minute with him. You could both study together, share your frustrations and help each other when necessary. “I’d just like to state for the record that I think this is a dreadful idea.”  
  
Peter grinned. “So are you going to come with me while I tell Tony?”

“Of course. _Someone_ will need to reanimate your corpse after he kills you.”

******

“No. Absolutely not.” Tony stood with his arms crossed over his chest, an exasperated expression on his face.  
  
Bruce looked worried. “Y/N, did you put him up to this?”  
  
“No!” you cried indignantly. “I actually agree with you guys. I think he should stick it out.”  
  
Peter threw his hands up in the air in frustration. “If I have to stay there for the rest of the year, I will not survive! I need to leave. Please Tony, Bruce, Steve. You need to let me finish my schooling online like Y/N is. My sanity depends on it.” He threw the puppy dog face at Steve, knowing he would be the most likely to crumble beneath it.

Steve rubbed his hands over his face. “If we agree to this, then you need to make sure you stay on top of everything. That goes for both of you.” Tony and Bruce started protesting, but Steve held up a hand. “It will be YOUR responsibility to make sure you are up to date with all of your schoolwork. No distractions, no excuses.”  
  
Peter nodded his head in agreement, his chestnut curls bouncing in his enthusiasm. “Definitely, Cap. Y/N and I will make sure we keep each other on track.”  
  
“OK. Well then, I guess I’ll be calling the school to let them know what’s happening, and why.”  
  
You looked at Peter. “Hey, what are you going to tell May?”  
  
Peter’s eyes widened. “Oh shit! Aunt May!”  
  
Steve smiled softly. “Don’t worry, I’ll explain it all to her if you like. I’m sure she’ll understand, and will agree that your safety takes precedence.”  
  
Peter hugged Steve, then jumped away in embarrassment. “Thanks Steve, I really appreciate it.” He blushed furiously. Steve laughed and waved the both of you away. Tony and Bruce still had reservations, but you knew that if Steve was on board then everything would work out.

You embraced your friend. “I can’t believe you got away with that!”  
  
He grinned at you. “Now you’re stuck with me all day, every day.”  
  
You threw up your hands in mock horror. “I knew it was a bad idea.” The two of you walked hand in hand to the theatre room to watch a movie, ecstatic that you were going to spend as much time together as possible.

******

Because of Peter’s decision to leave school early, and your expulsion, it meant that both of you were going to miss prom this year. For some reason, this made Tony incredibly upset. So he decided that he needed to do something about it. He consulted with the others, and they all agreed that you and Peter deserved to have the ultimate high school experience. So they all volunteered to help make it a reality. Somehow, they managed to keep the entire thing a secret from the two of you.

Pepper and Wanda decorated the sky lounge, complete with twinkling fairy lights, balloons and streamers. Wanda even managed to get Vision to add a mirror ball to the ceiling. A banner had been made, announcing “Avengers Prom 2018,” and was hanging above the entry to the sky lounge. Many of the others had never really had a proper prom experience either, so they were eager to join in the fun. S.H.I.E.L.D employees were also invited, and Maria Hill was trying to scare the newer agents by convincing them that Director Fury considered their attendance as mandatory. Agent Coulson and Fury did nothing to dispel this rumour.

Tony had considered hiring a live band, but Pietro offered to DJ and everybody thought that would be preferable. He had great taste in music, and the ability to read the mood of the room and ensure the tunes he played suited the occasion.

Because Tony was only slightly petty, he had arranged for the Avengers prom to be held on the same night as the high school prom. Ned and MJ had been advised of the event, and both agreed that attending the Avengers Prom at the Tower would be much cooler than attending the actual prom for Midtown High, and so they would both see you on the night. It also meant that they could boast to Flash later. MJ in particular enjoyed casually mentioning in front of Flash whenever she’d visited you and Peter in the Tower, just to see the vein in his forehead pop out. He’d nearly lost his mind when he found out you were related to Tony Stark. He would flip his lid when he found out the Avengers were holding their own prom and that he was not invited.

You were surprised when Natasha and Wanda cornered you in your room, dressed up to the nines in lovely evening gowns. “Here, sweetie. Put this on.” 

You stared at what was quite possibly the most beautiful [gown](https://www.unique-vintage.com/products/black-royal-blue-floral-strapless-chiffon-long-gown) you had ever seen. It had a sweetheart neckline and a boned corset-style bodice which laced up at the back with a black satin ribbon. The full skirt was made of layers of black tulle, while an overskirt of black chiffon with gorgeous royal blue roses embroidered all over it lay over the top. A pair of strappy black heels sat on the floor.

“This is lovely Natasha, but what is the occasion?”  
  
“Never mind. Just do as you’re told,” she responded in the no-nonsense voice that you knew better than to argue with.

“We should do her hair and makeup first. That way she won’t ruin the dress,” Wanda advised. Natasha nodded in agreement, and so the two of them sat you down in front of your dresser and ignored your protests while they arranged your hair and makeup as they wished. Natasha decided to keep your makeup looking fairly natural, and Wanda left your hair down but curled it softly and pinned it so that it cascaded over one shoulder.

Once they deemed you presentable, they helped you into the gorgeous gown and shoes. When you were dressed, they stepped back to admire their handiwork. Given they both nodded with approval, you guessed that they were happy with the results. You looked in the mirror and felt like Cinderella attending the ball.

“Alright, now the party can begin,” smirked Natasha, grabbing your arm and dragging you after her towards the sky lounge.

“Natasha, what is going on? Is Tony hosting some function that I was completely unaware of?”  
  
“You’ll see,” giggled Wanda.

The three of you entered the sky lounge and you felt your eyes widen in shock. It was decorated like the high school gym would have been for prom, and you noticed all of the other team members were dressed for the occasion. Coulson and many other S.H.I.E.L.D. agents were also in attendance. Maria waved to you.

Tony grinned when he saw you. “Hey, kiddo. We decided that since you weren’t able to go to prom this year that we’d bring the prom to you!”  
  
You threw your arms around Tony. “You did all of this for me?”  
  
“And Underoos. We figured the two of you deserved a prom of your own.”

You spotted Ned and MJ near Steve, both of them trying their hardest not to look like they were drooling over Captain America. You squealed and headed over to your friends, giving each of them a huge hug. “What are you two doing here?”  
  
MJ grinned at you. “Tony told us what was going on, and we thought we’d have more fun with you and Peter than we would with the losers at school tonight.”

Ned nodded vigorously. “Yeah, at least here we don’t have to put up with Flash. And we can talk to Captain America! He’s so cool!”

You laughed. Steve was one of the least cool people you knew, but you’d never let him know that. You and Peter agreed that Sam was actually the cool one.

Suddenly, MJ motioned towards the entry to the sky lounge with her chin. “Check it out. Parker actually looks decent for a change.”  
  
You turned and stared at your best friend in astonishment. He was dressed in a tuxedo, his blue bowtie slightly crooked. Natasha had clearly matched his tie and cummerbund to the colours in your gown. His usually unruly chestnut curls had obviously been tamed with a significant amount of hair product which you suspected had been stolen from Bucky.

You headed towards him when you noticed that he seemed rooted to the spot. “Hey, Peter. You look great! I never realized how handsome you actually are.” _What the heck! Why would you say something like that?_ You bit your lip and straightened his bowtie for him, hoping that he didn’t notice the light blush staining your cheeks.  
  
He turned scarlet, even while staring at you with his mouth open. “Wow, Y/N. You look beautiful,” he whispered. You muttered your thanks while feeling your own cheeks turn even more pink with embarrassment.

Peter suddenly seemed to remember something. “Oh! Here, Pepper told me to give you this.” He held out a beautiful wrist corsage of delicate white orchids. You held out your hand and he tied the ribbon around your wrist. He kept hold of your hand, lacing his fingers through yours, and you enjoyed the feeling of his thumb rubbing against your own.

MJ and Ned came over to drag the two of you to the photo booth. “We need proof that we attended Avengers Prom so we can rub it in Flash’s face next week.” The four of you spent ages posing and pulling faces. You even managed to grab the other Avengers to join in your pictures. MJ was especially proud to get one with Black Widow, and Ned was happily squeezed in between Steve and Bucky for a selfie.

Pietro did an excellent job as DJ, and the dancefloor was rarely empty the entire evening. Bruce and Natasha danced most of the evening together, as did Wanda and Vision. You and Peter danced with nearly everyone else, but spent a significant portion of the night in each other’s arms. During one of the slower dances towards the end of the evening, you and Peter locked eyes with each other, your arms around his neck while his fingers traced patterns over your back. It might have been considered romantic if not for the fact that you kept pulling faces at each other and giggling uncontrollably. The two of you seemed to be in your own little world, completely oblivious to everyone else.

Ned whispered to MJ, **“So, is this thing between Peter and Y/N supposed to be a secret?** You know, like the whole Peter being Spiderman thing.” Ned knew that MJ was aware of Peter’s alter ego, although she had kept that knowledge to herself so far.  
  
MJ snorted into her soda. “ **Hardly. The only people who don’t know that Peter loves Y/N are Peter and Y/N.** Anybody with eyes can see that they are crazy about each other.”

“How can two people who are so smart be so dumb?” Ned shook his head with disbelief. MJ shrugged. It was clear to both her and Ned that you and Peter were more than friends, but until either of you acknowledged it nobody else was going to mention it. But MJ dearly hoped that it wouldn’t drag on for much longer. The majority of the school had been convinced that the two of you were already dating before you’d left, and she desperately wanted it to be true. She thought you were a great couple, but she would die before admitting that to anyone.

Besides, MJ was looking forward to the day when she could break Flash’s brain by informing him that you were head-over-heels in love with Peter Parker. The only thing that would be funnier would be telling him that Peter was really Spiderman. That news might just kill him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song you sing for Peter is “Never Gonna Let You Down” by Colbie Caillat: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJVv5kjOJhU


	7. We’re not worthy! Well, maybe one of us is.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> OK, so obviously the second part of this chapter is pretty much directly from Age of Ultron, apart from some slight changes, like a complete lack of appearance from the murderbot and the attendance of some Avengers that weren’t actually there. But it’s fanfic, we change things because we can!

Clint groaned. “Dammit, Stark, you’re supposed to be a genius. Why the hell can’t you fix the air conditioning?”

“Because usually it doesn’t blow up so I’ve never had to learn how to fix it. That’s what electricians get paid for.” 

Tony had tried unsuccessfully to get Scott to fix the air conditioning. Scott reminded him that he was an electrical engineer, not an electrician. Tony insisted that there was no difference. Scott very nearly punched him in the face.  
  
It was the hottest week of the year so far, even though it wasn’t officially summer yet, so naturally the air conditioning unit at the Avengers complex had decided to blow up. Everybody was dressed in the least amount of clothing they could manage without being considered indecent, in an attempt to cope with the heat. Thor didn’t worry about such mortal trivialities as decency, walking around in just shorts and no shirt. It was extremely distracting.

Sam spoke up. “Well, I don’t know about you guys, but I’m pretty sure that the pool is calling my name.”

Everyone thought a swim was a great idea, so the team scurried to get changed into swimsuits and head out to the pool deck. Clint and Scott started a game of pool volleyball, soon being joined by Steve, Bucky, Pietro and Sam. The game was only interrupted by Thor bellyflopping into the middle of the pool. Loki sat under an umbrella, as his Jotun skin did not cope well with extreme heat. Natasha was sunning herself on a lounge chair. Wanda and Vision sat under another umbrella, chatting quietly. Peter was debating whether to join the volleyball game, or wait until the pool was a bit calmer so he could do some laps. 

“Hey, Parker, make yourself useful and help me put some sunscreen on.” He turned around to see you in a [black two-piece](https://cottonon.com/on/demandware.static/-/Sites-catalog-master-body/default/dw186436fe/662405/662405-02-1.jpg), and gulped.

“You…. you want _me_ to… help you?” Peter squeaked.

“I can’t reach my back, and everyone else is already in the pool.” You turned around and lifted your hair out of the way. “I would really prefer not to look like a lobster.”  
  
Peter could hardly believe what was happening. You actually wanted him to put sunscreen on your back. You wanted him to touch you while you were wearing a teeny tiny bathing suit. He was going to die. You were definitely going to be the death of him. His crush on you was getting out of control. In a daze, he rubbed lotion all over your back, feeling giddy from the contact. Neither of you noticed the glare that Loki was directing at both of you.

“Thanks. Do you need me to do you?”

“Um… ok.” You looked at him expectantly. Peter blinked at you. “What?”  
  
“You need to take your shirt off, dummy. Bit difficult to put sunscreen on when you’re still wearing clothes. Kind of defeats the purpose really.”  
  
“Oh.” He pulled off his shirt and tossed it aside. Your eyes felt like they were going to pop out of your head. Why the hell hadn’t you noticed before what a great [body](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/dc/21/8f/dc218f42941c2399fbf760fc0d048fa5.jpg) he had? Peter Parker had abs. He had a freaking _six-pack._ Sure, he wasn’t anywhere near as well-built as Thor or the super-soldiers, but honestly, who was? But you could admit that he had a really nice physique. Lean and muscular, with great biceps and a stomach that you found yourself wanting to plant kisses all over. _Hang on a minute, where on earth had THAT thought come from?_ You hastily rubbed the sunscreen over Peter’s back. “There, done. Now you won’t burn to a crisp.”

“Thanks. Last one in the pool has to kiss Clint!” Peter raced to the pool and jumped in, making a tremendous splash. Clint stuck his tongue out at you and you blew him a kiss. “I’m pretty sure blowing him a kiss is cheating, Y/N.” Peter swam up to the edge of pool and rested his arms on the edge, his chin on top of his arms.  
  
“No, I really don’t think it is.” You grinned at Peter as you slid into the pool next to him, copying his pose. “Kissing Clint would be like kissing my brother. It would be all kinds of weird.”

“Yeah, I don’t really think I’d enjoy kissing him that much either,” Peter laughed. Clint put his hand to his chest and gasped melodramatically, pretending to be heartbroken by the comment. 

You looked at Peter. His hair was slicked back from jumping in the pool, and one curl was flopping down into his eyes and dripping water onto his face, making him look even more adorable than usual. His eyelashes were incredibly long, and for some reason you found yourself really wanting to kiss a drop of water from the tip of his nose. Good grief, the heat must really be getting to you. Your brain had obviously been fried. Then you noticed that Peter was staring at you just as intently, his eyes frequently dropping to your lips. His face slowly moved closer to yours, his eyes never leaving yours. _Oh my God, was he going to kiss you? Was this actually happening? Here, in the pool, in front of everyone? Ohmigod ohmigod ohmigod..._ Your eyes fluttered closed just as your lips were about to touch…

You shrieked as ice cold water was dumped on your head. You looked up to find Loki standing at the edge of the pool with an empty cup hanging upside down in his hands, looking completely unapologetic. “Oops, I think I tripped and spilled my drink.” 

You glared at the god, who smirked back at you. Peter was gasping, and had ice cubes stuck in his hair. The two of you looked at each other, and with wordless agreement, you each grabbed one of Loki’s legs and pulled him into the pool.  When he surfaced, spluttering indignantly, you smiled sweetly. “Sorry Loki, you just looked so hot and bothered, I thought you needed cooling off.”  
  
He glared at you. “I detest swimming.”  
  
“Well, you’re no fun. Some God of Mischief you are.”  
  
Loki stalked out of the pool, muttering about how nobody respected him. You looked at Peter apologetically. “Sorry about that. He gets a little… possessive. I still don’t think he’s used to sharing my attention with anybody.”  
  
Peter shrugged. “I’d probably feel the same if the person I considered my best friend suddenly started spending all of their time with somebody else. I guess I can understand where he’s coming from.”  
  
“Still, there was no need for him to overreact. You’ve lived here with all of us for the past several months. I can be friends with more than one person.”  
  
“Is that all we are?” Peter stared at you, with a look you weren’t quite sure you could identify.  
  
You sighed. “Peter, you’re my best friend. I care more about you than anyone in the world. I just don’t know if it’s anything more than that at this stage.”  
  
“Fair enough,” Peter replied. “Well, I don’t know about you, but I’m starting to feel waterlogged. I think it’s time to head back inside.”

“You’re right. Besides, Tony’s got some sort of party happening tonight so we’ll probably need to get ready for that.” You both headed back inside, going your separate ways in order to get ready for the get-together that Tony had organised. 

******

Everybody was relaxed for once. Plenty of alcohol had been consumed throughout the night, although you had mocktails and Peter stuck to soda, because Steve was absolutely _not_ going to let Tony give either of you anything alcoholic while you were both underage. Natasha looked her usual gorgeous self, and was flirting with Bruce, who was awkwardly attempting to flirt back. Thor was trying to get Steve and Bucky drunk on Asgardian mead, but he wouldn’t let anybody else drink it because apparently it was not meant for “mere mortals.” Although some World War 2 veterans managed to get hold of it, and needed to be carried out of the Tower at the end of the night.

Loki had locked himself in his room, because he still didn’t particularly enjoy socialising with the team at the best of times, and he really didn’t want to watch you have fun with Peter whilst ignoring everyone else. Especially himself.

Eventually, the team were relaxing in the sky lounge after the rest of the guests had left. You sat on one of the couches next to Steve, with your head resting on his shoulder. Peter sprawled across the rest of the couch with his feet dangling over the end, his head in your lap as you carded your fingers through his messy curls.

Thor placed Mjölnir on the coffee table, and you looked at him curiously. He grinned at everyone, as Maria Hill asked him how he was able to lift the hammer when nobody else could. Clint was sitting on the floor next to Maria, twirling a drumstick for some reason. He hadn’t even been anywhere near a drum kit as far as you knew. Maybe the super secret boyband Tony kept talking about was real. “It’s a trick,” Clint said.  
  
Thor laughed. “No, no, it’s much more than that.”

Clint mocked, “Ah, whosoever be he worthy shall haveth the power. Whatever, man! It’s a trick.”

Thor waved a hand at the hammer. “Please, be my guest,” he invited.  
  
“Really?” Clint looked at everyone for confirmation that this was an absolutely terrible idea. 

Rhodey chuckled. “Oh, this is gonna be beautiful.”

Tony said, “Clint, you’ve had a tough week. We won’t hold it against you if you can’t get it up.”

Clint glared at the two of them. “You know I’ve seen this before, right?” He grabbed the handle of Mjölnir with one hand and tried to lift it. He ended up on tiptoes before letting go. “I still don’t know how you do it!” he laughed.

“Can you hear the judgment?” smirked Tony.  
  
“Please, Stark. By all means, have a go,” offered Clint.

The team groaned as Tony stood up smugly. “I’ve never been one to shrink from an honest challenge. It’s physics, pure and simple.” He wrapped the strap of the hammer around his wrist. “Right, so if I lift it, I then get to rule Asgard?” 

Thor bowed his head. “Yes, of course.”

“I will be fair, but firmly cruel,” Tony said as he tried to lift the hammer. Nothing happened.  He frowned. “I’ll be right back.” He disappeared for a few moments, then came back with part of his Iron Man suit and attempted to lift it again. Still nothing, even with the assistance of the repulsors. Frustrated, he got Rhodey to try and help.  
  
Rhodey stared at Tony. “Are you even pulling?”

“Are you on my team?”  
  
“Just represent! Pull!” cried Rhodey. Same result. The hammer did not budge. 

You thought poor Bruce was going to give himself a hernia with his attempt to lift it, until you realised that he had only pretended to Hulk out.

“Go ahead Steve, no pressure.” Steve stood up. He rolled his sleeves up, grabbed Mjölnir’s handle and pulled. It moved about an inch, and Thor’s face grew concerned. Then suddenly, Steve let go and threw his hands in the air in apparent defeat. Thor looked extremely relieved.

Steve sat back down next to you. You quirked an eyebrow at him. “What?” he asked innocently.

“You stopped,” you whispered. He looked at you. “That thing doesn’t go by ‘slightly worthy’ and you know it. It can only move if you are _absolutely worthy_. You moved the hammer. You could totally have lifted it, Steve Rogers, but you stopped.”  
  
Steve had the good grace to look slightly guilty. “I couldn’t do that to Thor,” he whispered. “Besides, could you imagine the look on Tony’s face if I _had_ picked it up?”  
  
You grinned. “It would have been worth it just for that.”  
  
Pietro tried and swore when it wouldn’t move. _“_ Бред сивой кобылы! Это должен быть трюк! _”_ _(Bullshit! It must be a trick!)_  

Bucky, Sam and Scott were also unsuccessful with their attempts, although none of them seemed particularly upset about it. Natasha declined to have a go, saying she didn’t need to answer that question, and both Maria and Wanda agreed. You also decided against it, because really, you did not need to make a fool of yourself like everybody else had.

Tony was still sulking. “It’s rigged. The handle’s imprinted, right? Like a security code? ‘Whosoever is carrying Thor’s fingerprints’ or something. 

Thor stood up. “Yes, that’s a very interesting theory, friend Stark. I have a much simpler one.” He picked up the hammer and tossed it, looking smugly at the team as he caught it one-handed. “You’re all not worthy.” Everybody groaned.

“Hey, wait a minute Thor,” you said. All heads turned to look at you. “Peter hasn’t had a go yet.”  
  
Your best friend sat up and shook his head at you. “No way. I don’t need to embarrass myself like everybody else did. I’m just fine, thank you.”  
  
Tony protested. “Come on, Underoos! You totally need to have a go so that the rest of us don’t feel so bad about our apparent lack of worthiness.”  
  
“Twenty bucks says Peter can lift it,” you said. If anybody was going to lift Mjölnir besides Thor and Steve, you were positive that it was going to be Peter Parker.

“Make it fifty and you’ve got yourself a bet,” scoffed Tony. No way could that pipsqueak Parker lift the hammer when even the perfect Captain America couldn’t. Suddenly, everybody else wanted in on the bet. You and Steve were the only ones to wager on Peter. All the others bet against him.

Peter stared at you in horror. “What have you done, Y/N?”  
  
“Go on, Parker, I have faith in you,” you winked. You pressed a kiss to his cheek for luck.

Peter gazed doubtfully at the hammer. “So, all I have to do is pick it up, right?”  
  
Thor nodded. “If you are worthy, you will be able to do so.”

Peter placed both hands on Mjölnir and took a deep breath. Bracing himself, he looked at you skeptically. “See Y/N, I told you nothing would happen! Why do I always let you talk me into stuff like this?” he said, while waving the hammer in one hand.

Thor was staring at him in shock. “Um, young Parker, I do believe you are now the co-ruler of Asgard.” The entire team gaped at Peter, unable to process what they were witnessing.  
  
“What?!” Peter stared at the hammer in disbelief, then promptly dropped it on his foot. “Ouch! Holy shit! That fucking hurts!”

“Cap, he said a bad language word!” laughed Maria. “Several, actually!”

“Pay up, people,” you smirked. Tony was the most ungracious about it, grumbling that it was definitely rigged and how on earth was Spiderman more worthy than Captain America of all people and how did you and Thor plan such trickery because surely that was Loki’s department?

Thor shook Peter’s hand. “Congratulations, young man of spiders. Although, I do believe you have just given my brother one more reason to dislike you.”

Peter groaned. “Great. As if my life didn’t suck enough.”  
  
“Come along, Prince Peter of Asgard,” you said in a posh voice. “Let’s go bandage that foot.” You helped him hobble to the first aid station, while the rest of the Avengers tried to make sense of what had just happened.


	8. Fact: Cuddles make everything better

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You and Peter comfort each other at various moments of vulnerability, and become even closer.

You’d come home late after going with Pietro and Wanda to see a local band at an all-ages club. As you were heading to your room, you heard what sounded like whimpers coming from Peter’s room. You paused, listening, and heard him crying out. You tried knocking, but he apparently didn’t hear you. Concerned, you asked FRIDAY to override the lock.  
  
Peter was tossing and turning on his bed, wrapped in his sheets, crying out in his sleep. He appeared to be in the middle of a nightmare. Having dealt with Bucky’s night terrors for the past couple of years, you knew better than to try to wake him up suddenly. Instead, you turned on his bedside light, then sat on the edge of his bed and grabbed one of his hands in yours. You pushed his hair from his face. “Peter,” you whispered. “Peter, honey, it’s ok. I’m here, everything’s ok.” He continued to cry out, so you kept talking softly to him until his moans subsided.

Eventually, he opened his eyes slowly and blinked. “Y/N? What are you doing here?” he asked in confusion.

“It sounded like you were having a nightmare. I got FRIDAY to let me in so I could check that you were alright.” You kept running your fingers through his hair, which seemed to help with calming him down.

Peter sat up, and took a shuddering breath. “I dreamed about Uncle Ben,” he whispered. You sat still, waiting to see if he would continue. You knew Peter’s uncle had been killed a couple of years ago, but you didn’t really know much more than that as he’d never talked about it with you. “I dreamed about the night he was killed. I saw the whole thing, and I didn’t stop it.” He swallowed, and tears started rolling down his face. “I didn’t stop it, Y/N. It’s all my fault.”  
  
You pulled Peter’s head onto your chest and wrapped your arms around him. “Don’t say that. It’s not your fault. There wasn’t anything that you could have done.”  
  
“Yes there was! I saw the guy earlier. The mugger. I could have stopped him and I didn’t. And Uncle Ben was only out there looking for me because I’d run away after we’d had an argument. If I hadn’t run off, he would have been home and he never would have been shot.” Peter began crying in earnest again, sobs racking his body as he relived the trauma of losing the only father he’d ever known.

You held him as he cried, rubbing his back and shushing him softly. After he’d eventually calmed down, you spoke softly. “Peter, if your Uncle Ben hadn’t come after you, then there is a very good chance that the mugger would have shot you instead. Or somebody else. He was going to hurt _somebody_ that night. It’s unfortunate that it was Uncle Ben, but it was always going to end the same way.”

He looked at you with guilt in his eyes. He sniffed. “But I should have stopped him! I should have done something and all I did was stand there.”  
  
“Because he had a gun, Peter! You were probably frozen with fear. You are always so brave in the face of danger, but usually it’s not directed at you. You have no hesitation in saving someone who’s in trouble. It’s a bit different when you’re the one being confronted. Ben acted on instinct to save you.”  
  
Peter shook his head. “I couldn’t move. It’s my fault.”  
  
You grabbed his face in your hands and made him look at you. “Listen to me, Peter Parker. What happened to your uncle was tragic, but _it was not your fault._ It was the fault of that guy who decided to rob that gas station. He made the choice to be there that night, and he made the decision to use that gun. If your uncle hadn’t been there, it would have been _you_ that died. What do you think that would have done to Uncle Ben and Aunt May?” He continued to look at you with a heartbroken expression on his face. “Peter, if you’d been killed that would have destroyed them. You’re the only family they have. They would have been devastated. As would Ned and MJ. And all of us.” You pulled him closer to you and pressed a soft kiss to his temple, letting all the affection you felt wash over him.

Peter wrapped his arms around you and held you as if his life depended on it. In a very small voice, he asked, “Do you mind staying with me tonight? I really don’t want to be alone tonight.”  
  
“Of course, Peter. I’m always here for you, you know that.” He sighed with relief and snuggled closer to you, his nose nuzzling into your neck. You held him close, softly singing until you heard his breathing slow, indicating that he was finally asleep. Eventually you drifted to sleep as well, and when Tony noticed the next morning that you and Peter were snuggled up together in his bed, both looking completely peaceful for the first time in goodness knew how long, for once in his life he didn’t make any sort of comment.

****** 

You were in the library, which for once was minus a certain God of Mischief. Loki had been permitted to briefly return to Asgard so that he and Thor could provide Odin and Frigga with an update on how his rehabilitation was progressing.

Due to Loki’s continued antagonism towards Peter, you had distanced yourself even further from your former friend, much to his chagrin. Loki had made numerous attempts to rekindle your friendship, and even Peter had tried to encourage you to maintain the relationship, but you were adamant that the only way that would happen would be if Loki decided to treat Peter with the same level of respect and courtesy that he treated you. As the god refused to let that happen, you continued to pull away from him. It had been a relief to both of you when he agreed to accompany his brother back to Asgard for a short period of time.

Once Loki had vacated the Tower, you had decided in a fit of pique to arrange all of the books in a way which you knew would drive the God of Lies absolutely wild upon his return.

Peter eventually found you, apparently sorting the books by colour. “What are you doing, Y/N?”  
  
“I’m rearranging the bookshelves.”

“I can see that. What I meant is, why are you doing it?”  
  
“I’m doing it to annoy Loki.”  
  
Peter rolled his eyes. He should have suspected that the trickster would have something to do with your sudden decision to upend the library. “OK, but _why_ are you trying to annoy him? I thought he was your friend.”  
  
“Not anymore. He’s pissed me off, so I’m returning the favour.”  
  
“Dare I ask how rearranging the library is going to achieve that?”  
  
You looked at Peter as if he had rocks in his head. “Because Loki had the books organised chronologically, by author and series. I’ve decided to change that. From now on, the books are going to be arranged by colour and size, and I don’t really care if the series get mixed up or not.”  
  
Your friend pinched the bridge of his nose. “So you’re doing it just to be a troll?”  
  
“Pretty much.” 

You were placing some of the books so that the spines were facing the back of the bookshelves, rather than having the titles visible. “Y/N, why are some of the books backwards?”  
  
You gave an evil grin. “Those are the mystery novels.”  
  
Peter snorted. That was actually kind of clever. “Remind me never to upset you. I hate to think what you’d do to me.”

“You’re a sweetheart. There is absolutely no way you could irritate me anywhere near as much as that Asgardian wankpuffin does.” 

“Is this because he doesn’t like me?”  
  
“It’s because he’s acting like a spoiled teenager.”  
  
Peter cocked his head to the side. “Isn’t Loki over a thousand years old? How can you say he’s a teenager?”  
  
You explained, “Loki told me once that even though in Asgardian years he’s about one thousand and fifty, when you convert that to Midgardian years he’s actually around our age. And Thor is about twenty-three by our terms. I got a bit confused with the conversion, but Loki is one hundred per cent a sulky teenager.”

“And you aren’t?” Peter sounded amused.  
  
You crossed your arms and glared at your friend. “Of course I am. But I warned him that he risked ruining our friendship if he continued to treat you like shit, and so here we are.”

Peter gazed at you speculatively. “You miss him, don’t you.” It was a statement rather than a question.

You sighed. “I miss what we had. I honestly hoped that the two of you would get along, because you’re actually quite similar in a lot of ways. You’re both intelligent, witty, and have the good sense to think I’m awesome. Plus, you both love pranking Tony.” You sighed again. “I just wish things could have worked out differently.”  
  
You suddenly found yourself wrapped in Peter’s soothing embrace. “Well, maybe one day you guys can work things out. Until then, I guess you’re just stuck with me.” 

“Oh no, however will I cope?” you asked sarcastically.  
  
You felt Peter press a kiss to the top of your head. “I think I saw a new tub of Ben and Jerry’s in the freezer. What do you say we liberate it while we watch a trashy movie?”  
  
“That sounds like a great idea. You always know how to cheer me up.”  
  
Peter grinned. “That’s what best friends are for.”  
  
******

The majority of the team were on a mission, meaning that it was just you and Peter left at headquarters for the next two weeks, under the nominal supervision of Pepper and Happy. Thor and Loki were still in Asgard and had not given an indication of when they were likely to return.

Tony had been reluctant to leave you, given the time of year it was, but you’d insisted that the mission was more important than you were and had practically dragged him onto the Quinjet yourself. You’d assured him that you would be fine in his absence.

Today, however, you realised that you needed your cousin. You called him, hoping desperately that he would not be in the middle of a fight. Finally, he answered. “Y/N? What’s up kiddo?”  
  
You sniffled. “I just realised that this is the first time in five years that you haven’t been here for me when I need you. I know I said I’d be alright, but I honestly didn’t think it would be this hard. It’s just that today I need you and you aren’t here and I don’t know how to deal with it.”  
  
Tony sighed sadly. “I know, kid. I did offer to stay with you, I knew it would be difficult.”  
  
You sobbed again. “Yeah, I’m sorry. I feel selfish, wanting you here with me when you’re needed elsewhere.”  
  
“Look, I’ll be home as soon as I can. It’ll probably be another three or four days, but when I get back I’m all yours for as long as you need me.”  
  
“Thanks, Tony. I’m sorry, I feel really bad for making you feel guilty.”  
  
“I felt guilty anyway. I’ll see you soon, ok? I love you.”  
  
“I love you too, Tony. Stay safe.” You ended the call and fell face down onto your bed, sobbing loudly.

Suddenly, you felt the bed dip. Glancing up, you noticed Peter sitting gingerly on the edge of the bed, concern in his big brown eyes. “Hey Y/N, what’s wrong?”  
  
You sat up and threw your arms around him, sobbing uncontrollably. Bewildered, he gathered you close to his chest and held you while you cried harder than he’d ever witnessed before. He smelled like sunshine and cookies and something else that was exclusively Peter, and it was enormously comforting. After what felt like hours, your sobs reduced but you still clung to Peter like he was your lifeline. He rubbed circles on your back and pressed kisses to your temple, whispering words of comfort to you. Eventually, you loosened your hold and pulled back a bit.  
  
“Sorry about that, Pete. Today is just difficult, that’s all. Usually Tony is here to help me but he’s still on the mission and I thought I’d be ok but I’m not and everything feels fucked up and I just don’t know how to cope…” You spoke so quickly that your words all jumbled together.

“What’s so difficult about today? Can I do anything to help you?” Peter felt a bit helpless, not understanding what was upsetting you.  
  
You sniffed and wrapped your arms around your knees, which you’d drawn up to your chest. “Today is the anniversary of my parent’s death. It’s been five years today. Tony always makes the effort to be with me.”  
  
“Oh.” Peter didn’t know much about what had happened to your parents, only that you’d been twelve when they’d died and had come to live with Tony afterward.

“We were driving back from a night out;’ we’d been to dinner and a movie. Had a great time. And then some drunk driver destroyed my family.” You started crying again. “My dad died straight away, but my mother was still alive when the paramedics arrived. She died on the way to the hospital. I only had a few cuts and bruises.”  
  
Peter recognised that you felt guilty about surviving the accident. He’d felt the same after his Uncle Ben had been killed. He put an arm around your shoulders and rested his head against yours. “I’m sorry you had to go through that. I lost my parents when I was pretty young too, but I don’t really remember them at all.”  
  
You looked at Peter. It was the first time you’d ever heard him mention his parents. “How did your parents die?”  
  
He shrugged. “Plane crash. I was only four, so I don’t remember much. I’d been staying with Aunt May and Uncle Ben because it was a business trip, so my parents didn’t want to take me with them. I don’t really know much more than that.”  
  
The two of you sat together quietly, sharing your grief at the amount of loss you’d both suffered. Eventually, you turned to Peter and gave him a kiss on the cheek. “Thanks for being here for me, Peter. I’m glad I had you in Tony’s absence.” Even though he wasn’t Tony, he understood what you were going through and how you felt, and right now he was exactly what you needed.

“You know I will always be there for you whenever you need me, Y/N. Any time.” Peter held you to his chest, and you drifted off to sleep, soothed by the sound of his heartbeat and the weight of his arms around you.


	9. All I Want For Christmas Is You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Christmas at the Avengers Tower brings a reconciliation of sorts, plus Tony’s ship finally comes sailing in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kudos and comments give me life. Thanks to everyone who's liked this so far, you make me want to keep writing :)
> 
> An early Christmas chapter, because Halloween is over so Christmas carols can now legitimately be played :D

The Avengers were very rudely awoken at stupid o’clock in the morning by you, Peter and Cassie bouncing onto every bed yelling, “Wake up! Santa’s been! It’s Christmas, bitches!” Scott made a mental note to never let Cassie’s mother know that she’d learned that particular phrase, and vowed to kick your butt because there was no way Peter would ever have taught his daughter to say something like that.

Mariah Carey’s _‘All I Want For Christmas Is You’_ was playing obnoxiously loudly over the sound system at daybreak, much to Tony’s apparent disgust. Tony pretended to hate Christmas carols, but he knew that you adored them and he’d always had difficulty in denying you anything that gave you joy. Although he wished you didn’t insist on getting FRIDAY to play them the instant that Thanksgiving was over. You and Bucky were singing along to the Christmas songs, dancing in the common room while Steve was cooking breakfast. You’d somehow convinced the former Winter Soldier to wrap Christmas lights around his metal arm, and you were both giggling like little kids as the lights blinked in time to the music. You wore tinsel around your neck like a scarf and reindeer slippers with blinking noses on your feet. Peter thought you were the most adorable thing he’d ever seen, even with a severe case of bedhead.

Pietro and Cassie sulked while waiting for breakfast to be over. Steve had very firmly put his foot down and said that under no circumstances were any presents to be opened until everybody had eaten a decent breakfast. When Captain America used his ‘mom’ voice, everybody knew better than to argue with him. Sam and Clint wore wounded expressions on their faces after Natasha dragged them out of the common room by their ears, berating them for trying to shake the presents to see if they could work out what everybody had got them. Thor and Loki had returned from Asgard a few nights earlier, so they were looking forward to joining in the festivities. Also, Aunt May was due to arrive to see Peter, and Director Fury and Agents Coulson and Hill had also been invited, so more than likely nobody would be opening anything until everybody was at the Compound.

Once all the guests had arrived, Steve announced that it was time to move into the common room to open the presents. Fury proudly wore a Santa hat and handed out the gifts to everyone. There were a few thoughtful presents, like the new (and expensive) handbag that Peter had bought for Aunt May, who cried and squeezed him so hard that he was scared he would pass out from lack of oxygen. Steve gave a sad smile when Bucky handed him a framed photo of Steve, Bucky and Peggy that had been taken before the mission that had cost Bucky his arm. Cassie appeared to be surrounded by every single My Little Pony ever created, much to her delight.

But for the most part, the Avengers had bought each other joke gifts in the hopes of bringing a smile to the faces of those that they loved.

Director Fury was unapologetically wearing an ugly sweater adorned with the symbol of every Avenger, which everyone was surprised to learn had actually been knitted by Bruce. Coulson refused to relinquish the stuffed Captain America doll that Maria had crocheted for him. Sam loved the Avengers Monopoly set he’d been given, and promised that next time it was games night he would bring it out. Natasha had received a Hawkeye hoodie, and Clint was given a long-range Nerf gun. Scott groaned when Tony gave him an ant farm.

Peter loved the [t-shirt](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/0d/04/cd/0d04cd65b0659e85497713ee6219200b.jpg) you’d got him, which said, _‘I’m not saying I’m Spiderman, but nobody has ever seen me and Spiderman in a room together.’_ He laughed when he saw it, and gave you a fierce hug before immediately putting it on over his pyjamas and wearing it proudly. The only thing he loved more was the Lego Avengers Tower that he’d received from Tony. You rolled your eyes at your cousin, who grinned because he’d managed to out-nerd you in the quest to find the most obvious superhero gift for Peter.

You and Loki looked at each other awkwardly, having purchased gifts for each other well before your falling out. You shyly handed him the gift you’d arranged for him, wrapped in shiny green paper with a gold ribbon. He smiled at you and opened it carefully. Chuckling, he lifted out the dark green [t-shirt](https://image.dhgate.com/0x0/f2/albu/g3/M01/1C/67/rBVaHVoXf4uAH4UIAATWOyOIWtk885.jpg) that said, _‘You mad? I do what I want.’_ Putting it on, he said a soft ‘Thank you,’ before passing you an ornately wrapped gift.

You took the present tentatively, in two minds as to whether to open it in front of everyone or in private in case it gave you emotions. Finally, you shrugged and carefully tore off the wrapping. Your eyes widened in astonishment. “Loki…” you whispered, staring at the obviously antique copy of _‘Pride and Prejudice’_ in your hands. Should that be _copies_ , because you held three hardcover volumes of your favourite novel.

“It is an original printing of the novel. It was originally published as three separate volumes in 1813. I thought you would appreciate it.” The Norse god looked at you hopefully.

“Are you telling me that you somehow managed to obtain a _two-hundred-year-old_ copy of this book for me?” You shook your head and attempted to press the books back into Loki’s hands. “I can’t accept this. It’s not right. You shouldn’t have done this. You need to take it back.”  
  
The rest of the team stared at you in shock. You _never_ turned down gifts, especially if it involved books. And you’d never been unappreciative of anything that Loki had done for you before. Even with the breakdown of your friendship, you’d never been rude to him.

“Y/N,” Peter said softly. You turned to look at him. “It’s rude not to accept a gift. Especially at Christmas.”  
  
“No! It’s too much! I can’t accept it, it wouldn’t be right.” Tears were in your eyes. Oh gods, why couldn’t they understand how much such a gesture from Loki hurt your heart? It meant that despite everything, he still cared. You’d treated him appallingly, no matter how justified you might have believed your actions, and yet he still cared enough about you to spend an absolute fortune on a gift for you simply because he knew how much you would love it. And you did love it. It was one of the most beautiful gifts you’d ever received. 

“Y/N,” Peter said, more forcefully this time. “Loki went to all of the effort of finding something that he knew you would appreciate. Don’t be ungrateful just because of your own pride.”

Smartypants, misquoting your favourite book against you. You stuck your tongue out at him, but he just raised his eyebrows at you.

Turning back towards Loki, you took a deep breath, then threw your arms around him. “Thank you,” you whispered into his ear, crying softly.

After an initial second or two of shock, Loki returned your embrace, kissing your cheek tenderly. “You are most welcome, dear heart,” he said affectionately. His glittering green eyes met Peter’s warm brown ones, and they both nodded to each other. Perhaps they could manage to be, if not _friends_ exactly, then at least _friendly_ towards each other for your sake.

******

“Peter.”

The boy turned, eyes wide. Loki had never called him by his name before. “Yes, Loki?” he asked warily.

“I just wanted to say, ‘Thank you’. For… well, for… what I mean is…” Loki was never usually at a loss for words, but he found it more difficult than he’d anticipated to convey his gratitude to the young man standing in front of him. It had meant more than he could express that Peter Parker, of all people, would insist that you accept his Christmas gift. He now understood why everybody held him in such high regard. Peter was an innately good person, never cruel or unkind. He was everything that Loki wasn’t. It was no wonder you thought the world of him.

“It’s ok. It’s Christmas, after all. Nobody should be unhappy at Christmas.” Peter held out his hand. “I know we’re never going to be the best of friends, but do you think maybe we could act like we don’t dislike each other? For Y/N’s sake?”  
  
Loki shook the boy’s hand and smiled softly. “I believe I’d like that.”

******

That evening, there was what Tony described as a ‘small gathering,’ which in reality meant that there were at least two hundred people at the New Avengers Facility. Lots of Stark Industries investors and employees, S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, friends and families of the various team members – there were plenty of people enjoying the famous Stark hospitality, and celebrating the silly season.

You’d dressed up for once, keeping to the Christmas theme by wearing a red 1950s style dress with a green ribbon at your waist. Flashing Christmas earrings dangled from your earlobes, and you had a headband with a tiny Santa hat holding your hair off your face. Red and white kitten heels completed your outfit, and you felt like you’d achieved your goal of looking Christmassy. There was a knock at your bedroom door as you were finishing applying your makeup. Opening it, you were surprised to see Peter standing there, looking uncomfortable in a dress shirt and suit. You giggled when you noticed that he still wore his sneakers. Dragging him into your room, you gave him a hug and then told him to sit down in your armchair while you finished getting ready for the party. “So what brings you here, Mr Parker? Scared to be with the grownups without backup?” you joked.

He ran his fingers through his hair nervously, then looked at you with his chocolate coloured eyes. “I need some help with my tie,” he whispered, holding the offending article in his outstretched hand. 

Laughing, you took the tie from him and looped it around his neck, before tying it into a perfect Windsor knot. Years of living with Tony and the others had given you a lot of practice with ties. Pepper had taught you so that you could assist the menfolk whenever she or Natasha weren’t available. “There, all done. You look pretty spiffy,” you grinned.

Peter blushed slightly and mumbled his thanks. He stared into your eyes. “Before I forget, I wanted to give you your present in private.”  
  
You looked at your friend quizzically. He’d already given you a present this morning. The Thor Mr Potato Head figure you’d received from him stood proudly on your desk, next to your Captain America Build-A-Bear and Iron Man plushie. The others teased you about your need to collect Avengers paraphernalia, but you didn’t care. You had a toy for every member of the team. You even had a Spiderman Build-A-Bear on your bed, and a pair of Hulk slippers which were a birthday present from Bruce last year. “I thought you already gave me something earlier.”  
  
Peter blushed harder than before, and then you noticed a small, messily wrapped gift in his hand. “I got you something else. It’s just a little thing, but I saw it and thought of you.” You had never seen him look so nervous about anything. He practically threw the present at you. “I hope you like it.”

Curious, you unwrapped the gift, noting that it was a small box. Your heart started hammering, even though you knew you were being completely ridiculous. There was absolutely no way that Peter would have gotten you anything like… You opened the box and peeked into it. There, nestled inside, was a tiny gold [Spiderman charm](http://dotoly.storenvy.com/products/12516912-chibi-spiderman-and-spider-web-shaped-charm-necklace-in-gold) dangling on a delicate chain. You smiled when you saw it. It was a subtle nod to his alter ego. Peter breathed a sigh of relief when he noticed that you seemed to like the gift.

“It’s gorgeous, Peter. I love it. Help me put it on?” You turned around so that he could fasten the chain around your neck. You tried to suppress a shiver when his fingers brushed against your skin, seeming to linger a bit longer than was strictly necessary. You turned and gave him a dazzling smile. “Now I’ll always have my favourite Avenger with me,” you teased.

He blinked. “I’m your favourite?” he squeaked.

“Of course! You’re my favourite person in the world, so it only stands to reason that you’d be my favourite Avenger too. So, how do I look?” You twirled in front of the other teen playfully.

Peter gazed at you with undisguised admiration. “I think you’re the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.”

Ducking your head in embarrassment, you grabbed his hand and dragged him out of your room. “We’re going to be late for the party. Come on! I promised Bucky that I’d dance with him at least once tonight, so he’s going to sulk if he misses out.”

The party was in full swing by the time the two of you entered the ballroom. It was the only room in the New Avengers Facility that was big enough to hold all the people that Tony had invited. Bucky immediately pounced on you and twirled you onto the dancefloor, both of you laughing as you boogied to the big band music that was playing. Peter watched you wistfully from the edge of the dancefloor. Steve came up and bumped his shoulder. “You should ask her to dance. Otherwise Bucky will keep her all night.”  
  
Peter shook his head. “Oh no. I don’t dance, not like that.”

Steve snorted. “Neither do I. But I at least know how to put my arms around a girl and sway a bit. I’m pretty sure you could manage that too. I mean, you seemed to do alright on prom night.” Steve pushed him towards the dancefloor. “Go ask her. Don’t leave it too late. Trust me on this one.”

Peter tapped Bucky nervously on the shoulder. “Um, mind if I cut in?”  
  
Bucky bowed to you, then placed your hand in Peter’s. “She’s all yours, kid. Later, doll,” he winked at you.

Peter seemed not to know where to place his hands, so you giggled a bit as you adjusted his hold. “There, that’s better.” You smiled encouragingly at him, and he gave a nervous grin in return. The two of you swayed together, and eventually you moved closer to Peter and rested your head on his shoulder. Suddenly, you felt Peter tense up. You lifted your head and looked at him. “Is something wrong?”  
  
He shook his head and glanced above you. You followed his gaze, and blushed when you realised that you were standing under an enormous bunch of mistletoe. You groaned. This had Tony written all over it. He’d hung the stuff absolutely everywhere, and made sure that anybody caught underneath it had to smooch. So far today you’d had to kiss Scott, Bruce, Sam and Pietro, plus Vision which was more than a little strange. Your cousin had crowed with delight when Wanda and Natasha both planted a kiss on your cheek at breakfast.

Grimacing, you whispered, “We can move if you want. I’m pretty sure Tony hasn’t noticed yet so we can totally get away with it.”  
  
Shaking his head again, Peter stared at you with those big brown eyes that you loved so much. He gently held your face in his hands and swallowed nervously. Then, he closed his eyes and lowered his lips to yours, placing a tentative kiss on your mouth. Slowly, his lips started to move and you sighed with pleasure, melting into his kiss. He shyly poked his tongue out, and you permitted him to explore your mouth. The two of you forgot everything except the feeling of each other. You threaded your fingers through his curls, pulling him closer, and he wrapped his arms around your waist and lifted your feet off the ground.

All of a sudden, you became aware of cheers and whistles coming from around the room. The loudest seemed to be coming from Tony, Aunt May and Agent Coulson. “It’s about time, you two!” yelled Tony gleefully. Peter nearly dropped you in his shock. Tony grabbed both of you in an enthusiastic hug. “I’ve had a hundred bucks on the two of you getting together before New Year’s,” he smirked.

“Way to kill the mood, Tony,” you grumbled, punching your cousin in the arm. 

He planted a kiss on your cheek, completely unrepentant. “Oh please. I’ve shipped you two since the moment Underoos joined the team. Let me have my victory.”

You grabbed Peter’s hand and dragged him away from the ballroom, and out onto the terrace. It was much quieter out here, and because it was the middle of winter, nobody else was likely to come out and bother you. Peter took off his jacket and placed it over your shoulders. Turning to him, you smiled and linked your arms behind his neck. You moved to kiss him again, but he paused. “Y/N, there’s no mistletoe out here.”

“Who said I need mistletoe?” You stood on your tiptoes and kissed him, and this time he didn’t stop you.


	10. Three is company

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You and Loki repair your relationship, and he and Peter finally become friends.

The team noticed a significant change after Christmas. It seemed as if the season of forgiveness had taken a firm hold of you, Peter and Loki, because almost overnight the three of you became pretty much inseparable. This pleased Thor immensely, as he loved his brother despite Loki’s protests, and he was exceedingly fond of both you and Peter. Even Tony had to admit that it was a pleasant change to have Peter and Loki getting along, rather than fighting over your affections.

Since Christmas morning, there had been a noticeable shift in the relationship between the two. Loki appreciated that Peter had made sure that you accepted the lavish gift that Loki had obtained for you, and that he had worked tirelessly to help the two of you repair the rift in your friendship. The god realised that Peter was a person who was worthy of befriending, as he was unswervingly loyal to those he was close to. He also felt honoured that Peter made every effort to include him in your plans, whether it was going to a movie, baking cookies, or thinking of a new prank to play on one of the others. 

In turn, Peter thought Loki was the most interesting person he’d ever met. He was articulate, witty, clever and hysterically funny. Peter watched in awestruck fascination whenever Loki used his magic, trying to work out if he could replicate the tricks through scientific means. He asked endless questions about Asgard and what life was like growing up as a prince, and was not in the least bit concerned that Loki was actually a Frost Giant. If anything, that just made Peter think he was even more intriguing. When he asked Loki to show his Jotun form, he was fascinated by the markings on his blue skin, and made the god laugh when he said that blue was not really Loki’s colour because green suited him much better.

You watched the growing friendship between the two with a sense of joy. It was tentative at first, with both of them seemingly overcautious of saying or doing something which might cause offense to the other. However, gradually they became much more comfortable together and began to genuinely enjoy each other’s company. Once it became apparent that they were getting along, it made your heart burst with happiness, because now you could spend time with either of them without the fear of hurting the other.

Loki seemed to finally understand that it was possible for you to share your affections, and although you were _in love_ with Peter, you also still had room in your heart for a certain mischief maker. Once it sunk in that you still cared for him, even though it wasn’t in the way that he wished, Loki returned to his former playful self. It was a relief to the three of you that a new dynamic was developing, one that resulted in an almost unshakeable bond.

Bruce dubbed your trio the Marauders due to your love of Harry Potter, playing pranks and habit of getting into trouble, and the name stuck. If there was some sort of mischief going on, there was a pretty decent chance that the three of you were involved to some extent.

Tony began to regret wishing that Peter and Loki got along.

****** 

Loki was sitting on the floor of the library. You sat cross-legged on the couch behind him, weaving tiny braids in his hair, and Peter lay with his head in your lap. The two of you were listening to Loki as he read aloud from a book of Asgardian fairy tales. The stories were much darker than those you’d heard as children, and Loki explained that the original Grimm’s fairy tales were based off old Viking ones, which in turn had been inherited from Asgard centuries earlier.

“Wait a minute,” Peter asked in confusion. “So, in your version of the Frog Prince, the princess has to chop off the frog’s head instead of kiss him? How does that help him turn back into a prince?”

“Nobody was ever able to explain that to my satisfaction,” Loki admitted. “Regardless, if he’s headless he’s not of much use as a prince. There is another version that has the princess throwing the frog against the wall in disgust, and that transforms him back to his human form.”  
  
“It would be so much easier to just punch him in the face,” you said. “It’s still violent, but at least he’s not dead. 

Loki tilted his head back and pouted at you. “Are you saying that if I was turned into a frog, that you would rather punch me than kiss me? You wound me, dear one.”

You smiled sweetly at the god. “I always want to punch you, tricksy one. You just have that kind of face.”

He poked his tongue out at you and you gave his forehead a kiss, which mollified him somewhat. Continuing, Loki said, “Our version of Snow White has the queen eating the girl’s liver and heart, and then eventually going mad from guilt and killing herself.”  
  
Peter shuddered. “And these are stories for _children?_ How did you sleep at night?”  
  
Loki chuckled. “I spent my first two hundred years squeezed in between my parents in an attempt to avoid nightmares. I understand this is what caused Odin to begin regretting his decision to bring me with him from Jotunheim when I was an infant. Frost giants have notoriously cold feet.”

You and Peter laughed at that. It was good that Loki was starting to be able to joke about his childhood. You knew from what Thor and Loki had both told you that his upbringing had been difficult, growing up in the shadow of his much more popular brother, and never being quite good enough to win the complete approval of his father.

“I believe they were used more as cautionary tales, to teach children about the consequences of choosing the path of evil rather than of good,” Loki continued. “Although, obviously, I didn’t pay much attention to those lessons.” You all chuckled. He had definitely preferred to follow the path that bordered both chaotic evil and chaotic neutral, rather than the relative good of his brother.

“Well,” Peter said, “I’m just glad that we grew up with the Disney versions of these stories, otherwise I’d be completely traumatised.”

You finished braiding Loki’s hair. “Well, I think we have our very own Disney prince right here. Two of them, actually.”  
  
Two pairs of eyebrows were furrowed in confusion. You explained yourself. “Well, Loki is an actual real life prince, and he’s definitely handsome enough to count as a Disney one. Plus, these luscious locks absolutely make him Disney material.” Loki preened at the knowledge that you thought him handsome.

“And we all know that if he really wanted to, Peter could totally talk to animals and get them to do his bidding. So maybe that makes him a Disney _princess_ instead,” you teased. When he stuck out his bottom lip, you amended your statement. “Fine. Peter has perfect Disney prince hair and gorgeous eyes and the best smile and he’s definitely my favourite Disney guy after Flynn Rider.” You gave him a quick kiss and stood up. “So, what would your highnesses like to do now?”  
  
Loki and Peter looked at each other and nodded in silent agreement. Peter said, “Disney marathon. The classics, based off the Asgardian tales. So _Snow White, The Princess and the Frog_ and _The Little Mermaid_ to start off with. Then we can decide more later.”

“Sounds like a plan. Come along, my princes.” You linked arms with your two favourite people and headed to the theatre room, while singing _‘Some Day My Prince Will Come,’_ much to the amusement of them both.

****** 

The fact that Loki and Peter immediately ceased their conversation when you entered the room was not in the least bit suspicious. You narrowed your eyes at them. “What are you two up to?”  
  
“Nothing!” Peter looked decidedly guilty. He was lucky that you’d told him never to play poker for money; Tony and Clint would have wiped the floor with him.

“Uh huh. Loki?”  
  
The god looked at you with a perfectly innocent expression. “Peter and I were just discussing the relative merits of employing sorcery as a weapon, as opposed to using scientific means to resolve conflicts.” Oh, he was good. No wonder he was called the God of Lies.

“Forgive me if I don’t believe either of you. You’re both plotting something without me and that means I need to find two new best friends.” The two of them had been spending rather a lot of time together recently, and while you were happy that they were getting along, it did concern you slightly that they suddenly seemed to prefer each other’s company to yours. “Should I be worried that you two love each other more than me?”  
  
Peter looked embarrassed. “Well, you know, we didn’t really want to say anything in case it hurt your feelings, but… I mean… Well, Loki is pretty darn attractive, isn’t he? Anybody would be smitten.”  
  
Loki seemed flattered. “Yes, well, now that I’ve spent a significant amount of time with Peter, I understand your infatuation with him. He’s absolutely divine,” he deadpanned.  
  
You snorted. “You two are absurd. Fine, I’ll leave you to get back to your little bromance. I guess I’ll go spend some time with the super-soldiers. At least I know _they_ still love me.” You tried not to read too much into the fact that both of them looked relieved that you were leaving them alone.

******

Your eighteenth birthday had finally arrived, and you’d managed to convince Tony to keep the guest list to a minimum. If he’d had his way, there would have been marching bands and fireworks and well over a hundred people. You were happy with just the team, plus MJ, Ned and Aunt May, as well as Pepper, Happy, Coulson, Hill and Fury. You just wanted your family with you, and so Tony eventually gave in.

Pietro and Wanda had organised the decorations, and the balcony was fitted out with balloons, streamers and paper flowers in your favourite colours. There were tea lights everywhere to provide a soft glow. They’d managed to obtain photos of you from when you were a baby up to the present day, and had put this into a Powerpoint slide show that played on a big screen in the background. The team had all provided them with their favourite photos of you for the slides. There was no shortage of embarrassing pictures, as well as lots of candid shots of you performing in school plays or at sporting events. Every Avenger had given the twins at least one photo that you’d taken with each of them. Tony had given them his favourite photo of you. It had been taken not long after you moved into the Tower at the age of twelve. You were asleep on the couch in a pair of Iron Man pyjamas, drooling over your pillow while clutching an Iron Man plushie. Everyone burst out laughing at that one, including you.

After all of the guests had eaten as much as they could of the delicious finger food that had been provided by Tony’s favourite catering company, it was time for them to give you their gifts. Tony gave you the key to a brand new [Audi R8 Spyder](http://ironman.wikia.com/wiki/Audi_R8_Spyder). “You know, because you love spiders so much,” he chortled, referencing your relationship with Peter. You didn’t know whether to punch him or kiss him, so you did both while trying not to die of embarrassment. It was completely over the top, and one hundred per cent the kind of thing that Tony would do.

Natasha had managed to find a Hawkeye action figure for your Avengers toy collection, which you had difficulty keeping Clint from stealing. Agents Coulson and Hill gave you a [charm bracelet](https://marvelgoodies.com/product/avengers-superheroes-symbol-bracelet-v2/) containing the symbol of every Avenger, including Loki, as well as the S.H.I.E.L.D. symbol. Bucky and Steve handed you a season pass to Yankee Stadium. MJ and Ned gave you a coffee mug that said, _‘I can’t keep calm, I’m thinking of Tom Hiddleston’,_ in reference to your favourite actor. The others gave you a variety of Avengers themed clothes and toys for your collection, knowing that you didn’t really want anything flashy or expensive.

Finally, Peter and Loki handed you a small box. “This is from the both of us,” Peter explained shyly. “We made it for you.”

“Is this what the two of you have been whispering about for the last few weeks?” you queried. Peter just smiled at you. You opened the box to discover a [ring](http://anvilfinewares.com/BellarriProductPages/R8527M.htm) with multiple gemstones fashioned into the shape of two flowers.

Peter continued, “Each gem represents one of the Avengers. That’s why they are all a different colour. I designed it, and Loki helped me put it together.”

Loki advised, “The flowers are based on Asgardian blooms. One symbolises family and the other signifies love. Because the Avengers are your family, and every person here loves you more than words can express.” It was probably the most sentimental you had ever heard the trickster.

Overcome with emotion, you grabbed the two young men you loved the most in a fierce hug. “This is the most beautiful gift I’ve ever received. Thank you both so much.”

It was certainly the most original piece of Avengers paraphernalia you’d ever received. The fact that your boyfriend and best friend had worked together to make something so personal and unique touched your heart.  You gave them both a kiss on the cheek, and Peter placed it on the ring finger of your right hand. It was the prettiest piece of jewellery you owned, and you wasted no time in showing it off to the others. Wanda and Pepper sighed appreciatively over it. MJ told Peter he’d finally done something cool. Aunt May looked at him significantly, smirking when he turned bright red. May knew exactly how much you meant to her nephew.

The party lasted well into the early hours of the morning, and you honestly didn’t think you could be any happier than you were at this moment.


	11. You can go your own way

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Angst aplenty in this chapter. But then some brief joy before even more angst. Because you can’t have a superhero story without angst.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Implied smut – just remember, the reader and Peter are both over 18 in this fic so they are both consenting adults.

It had been an extremely stressful two weeks. Final exams were coming up and you were definitely not prepared enough. Pietro had been hurt on a mission and you were worried about him. Loki had been wreaking even more havoc than usual. Steve and Tony had nearly come to blows over the outcome of their latest mission. And Peter… well, poor sweet Peter was bearing the brunt of your anger and annoyance. He’d been trying to help you with your trigonometry homework, and it was just not sinking in. You’d been snapping at each other for the past week. He’d made the decision to completely redo his senior year with you after leaving Midtown High. So he was stressed about final exams too, and yet he was still doing his best to help you prepare so you could feel confident enough to pass.

Finally you threw your pen across the room and screeched in frustration. “I can’t stand it! It’s just not working! Nothing is sinking in. I can’t take it anymore.” You put your head in your hands.  
  
“That’s ok. We’ll try something else. I’m sure we can figure out a way to help you get a handle on it.” How could he still be so cheerful? You wanted to strangle him.

“Ugh, Peter. Enough! I need a break.”

He stretched and stood up. “Sure, that sounds like a good idea. Why don’t we watch a movie, switch off our brains for a couple of hours? We can come back to it after dinner.”

You looked up at him, tears in your eyes. “I don’t just mean a break from study, Peter. I need a break from _everything_. Study. Avenging.” You hesitated. “Us.”

“What do you mean, you need a break from ‘us’? Like, a Ross and Rachel break?” 

“I’m not planning on going out with anyone else in the next five minutes if that’s what you’re asking.”  
  
“Well then, what _are_ you saying, Y/N? Because I’m not quite sure where you’re going with this.” He was pretty sure he knew, he just desperately hoped you wouldn’t say it.  
  
You sighed and stood up. “I mean, Peter, that I need a break from this relationship. I need to concentrate on myself right now. It’s too much for me to think about, what with finals coming up and trying to figure out what I want to do with my life. I need to focus on me.”  
  
“And you can’t do that while you’re my girlfriend?” His voice cracked. Oh god, you hated making him cry. The one thing in the world that was sure to destroy you was seeing Peter cry. It just seemed to be all you were able to do to him lately.

“That’s just it. I can’t focus on _me_ , when it’s been _you and me_ ever since you became an Avenger. It’s been Peter and Y/N, Y/N and Peter. Not just Y/N. Not just Peter. It’s just been _us_.” You didn’t even feel like you were making sense, that’s how badly your brains were scrambled. You stared at Peter, trying to get your meaning across with just a look. You needed him to understand how much you still loved him, but that everything was completely overwhelming and you were at breaking point.

“So… so you… you’re… are you breaking up with me?” _That look._ Oh, you felt your heart shatter into a million pieces when he looked at you like that.

“I’m sorry, Peter.” You burst into tears and ran out of the room, sobbing, leaving Peter standing in the middle of the common room wondering what had gone wrong.

******

It was supposed to get easier. You’d finished all of your exams, and were just waiting for your results before you knew whether to celebrate or commiserate with everyone. You were quietly confident you’d passed everything, even trigonometry. Tony was determined to throw a graduation party once you had your results. You were dreading it.

It was supposed to be easier. There had been no major missions for ages, so the entire team had been there to provide you with support for the past few weeks. Bruce gave you a shoulder to cry on when the pressure got too much. Nat or Clint offered to be a sparring partner to get rid of any pent up frustration. Scott was someone you could vent to when you felt like screaming. Wanda and Pietro watched movies with you, and Loki offered to read to you. Thor made sure he gave you bear hugs every time he saw you. Steve and Bucky took it upon themselves to be your big brothers, making sure you ate regularly and got plenty of sleep.

It was supposed to be easier on your own. You were only supposed to look after yourself. It had been a month and you were supposed to find everything easier once you only had yourself to focus on. Except that it wasn’t easier. You couldn’t concentrate on anything. You’d never felt so lost in your entire life. You felt like something was missing. And as you entered the kitchen for breakfast, there it was. The reason you felt so miserable. Standing in front of you was the cause of the Peter Parker shaped hole in your heart. You knew it was your own fault, but that didn’t make it hurt any less. Not one little bit. You opened your mouth to speak, but no words came out.

He didn’t even look at you. He just left as soon as you walked into the kitchen. You wanted to run after him, to drag him back and demand that he talk to you, but your feet didn’t want to cooperate. You just stood there, staring at the back of the young man you loved, and you couldn’t even tell him. Really, you were your own worst enemy. Who needs HYDRA when Y/N could just sabotage her entire life all on her own? They might as well just kill you now and be done with it.

“Hey Y/N, we’re having a party tonight to celebrate you finishing your study. The whole team. We thought it might be a good way for you and Peter to let off some steam,” Tony said as you sat down to eat your cereal.  
  
“Sorry, I don’t really feel like doing anything tonight. I just want to chill out on my own.”  
  
“Nonsense. You’re young and you’ve just finished school. It’s time to let your hair down!” Tony was determined not to take no for an answer.

“I really don’t feel like it, Tony.”  
  
“Well, it’s only 9am. By tonight you’ll probably have changed your mind.” Or he was going to get someone to change it for you. Like Nat. You’d stand no chance if she got hold of you.  
  
“Yeah, well, I’m 99.9% positive that if I do anything with the team tonight, Peter is going to manage to find some crisis that only our friendly neighbourhood Spiderman can handle. So if it’s all the same to you, I’d rather just be by myself.”  
  
“Y/N…”

“Just drop it, Tony! I’m going back to bed.”

“Well,” sighed Bruce. “That went well.” 

******

Steve came by your room about an hour later. “Do you want to talk about it?”  
  
“Not really.” You were lying on your bed, hugging your Spiderman Build-A-Bear, staring at the ceiling. If you couldn’t hug the real thing, the teddy bear would have to do.

Steve sat on the edge of your bed. “Y/N, you can’t shut all of us out forever. I know it’s difficult for you and Peter right now, but I’m sure you can work things out.”  
  
You sat up and stared at him. “How, Steve? How on earth am I supposed to work anything out with Peter when I don’t know what to say to him? I still love him so much, but every time I go to talk to him no words come out. He won’t even look at me. He can’t stand to be in the same room as me. I hurt him so much, Steve, and I don’t know if he’ll let me fix it. I don’t even know if he wants me to try.” You started to cry. Yet again. It felt like all you’d done every day for the last month was cry. You wondered how you actually had any tears left.

Steve pulled you into his broad chest and kissed the top of your head. “He loves you, sweetheart. You just need to find a way to tell him how you feel.” He pushed your shoulders back and looked you in the eyes. “Come to the party with us tonight. Captain’s orders. I’ll make sure Peter’s there too. Hopefully you can work it out. The two of you are good together.”  
  
“What if I can’t make things right?” you asked softly.  
  
“Then I’ll be here to support you in any way I can. Bucky too. It kills me to see you unhappy. I love you, short stuff.” 

“I love you too, Cap.”

******

For some strange reason, Tony had decided to have a karaoke machine at the party. You suspected Pietro was involved in planning the evening’s festivities. The Sokovian had a weakness for belting out show tunes and power ballads, even though he couldn’t carry a tune in a bucket.  
  
Clint and Nat were currently on stage hamming it up by singing ‘ _Summer Nights_ ’ from Grease. The team was laughing at their antics. Nat was singing Danny’s part, which meant that Clint was Sandy, so he was singing in falsetto to get the high notes. Normally you’d be rolling on the floor with laughter, but tonight you just weren’t feeling it. You were flicking through the song list, trying to see if there was anything at all that would help take your mind off how miserable you still were, but nothing jumped out at you.

Pietro and Thor got up and completely destroyed ‘ _Agony_ ’ from Into The Woods. It was definitely agony listening to it. Sam did a passable rendition of ‘ _Hound Dog_.’ Tony pleased everyone with an almost perfect Sinatra impression while singing ‘ _My Way_.’

Scott came up and grabbed you. “Hey chicken, the showoffs are letting the DJ take over for a bit. Come dance with me.”  
  
You gave him a small smile. “I’m not really in the mood for dancing, Scott.”  
  
He rolled his eyes and dragged you towards the floor. “Just one dance, come on. For me? I promise I’ll get everyone else to leave you alone after that if you really want them to.”

“Fine,” you groaned, and let Scott lead you onto the dancefloor. You could feel Peter’s eyes on you, but you couldn’t bring yourself to look at him.

A slowish song was playing, nothing super mushy or romantic, but definitely one that required Scott to place one hand delicately on your waist while he held your hand with his other one. He wasn’t a bad dancer, leading you lightly across the dancefloor and smiling gently at you. He told you lots of dad jokes until finally you had no choice but to giggle. “There’s that smile we all love. Haven’t seen it for a while. I’ve missed it.”  
  
“My teenage angst can’t withstand the constant onslaught of your terrible dad jokes.”  
  
Another song started. “Did you want to sit back down?”  
  
You shook your head. “It’s ok. I think I’m actually starting to enjoy myself.”  
  
“Great! Maybe we can try to teach Thor and Loki the Macarena.” Scott grinned at you. You snorted. Seeing the God of Thunder and the God of Mischief attempting to dance like that would be hysterical. You danced another couple of songs with Scott before Sam came over.  
  
“Hey Tic Tac, stop hogging Y/N all night. Some of us would like to bask in her glow too, you know.”  
  
Scott handed you over to Sam, bowing to you as he left. You rolled your eyes. Sam twirled you around a couple of times, and then a disco number came on. “Oh yeah! Time to show these folks how to really get your groove on!” 

Pretty soon, you forgot about everything except how much fun you were having. You honestly were having a great time. You danced for most of the night, doing disco numbers with Sam and Clint. Tony and Steve got you to do a couple of waltzes, Bucky jived with you and Natasha dragged you through a tango, much to the delight of the men. And you did manage to get Thor and Loki to attempt the Macarena, which left everyone in fits of laughter. Through it all, Peter watched you, his brown eyes narrowed as he saw how much you were enjoying yourself. You didn’t once glance his way, and he had never felt so alone.

Eventually you pleaded exhaustion and headed over to the bar to grab a drink. As you headed over, your eyes found Peter’s. He was staring at you, his face completely expressionless.

“Hey.” He didn’t respond. “So, it seems like everyone’s having fun. It was pretty cool of Tony to throw this party for us. I honestly wasn’t expecting to enjoy myself tonight, but I’m actually having a really good time.”  
  
“At least that makes one of us.” Peter looked at his drink, avoiding your gaze.

You put your drink down. “You know, I think you’re the only one I haven’t danced with tonight.”  
  
“Yeah well, you don’t seem to be lacking for attention. I’m not really sure you need any from me,” he sulked.

“Peter. Join me.” You held out your hand expectantly. He just looked at it. “Come on Peter, don’t leave me hanging. Please? Don’t make me beg.”

Seemingly reluctantly, he took your hand. You squeezed it gently and led him to the dancefloor. It felt like the eyes of every single Avenger was on both of you as you made your way to the middle of the floor. You put Peter’s hands on your waist, and placed your hands gently on his shoulders. He stared at you, his face giving away nothing. As you swayed gently to the music, you sighed.

“Peter, I’m so sorry about everything. I never meant to hurt you. You are my best friend in the whole world and the last thing I ever wanted to do was hurt you. I honestly thought things would be easier if I was on my own for a bit. But it’s not. It’s been so much harder. I feel like I can’t breathe without you. You are the only thing in my life that makes perfect sense. You are my whole world and for the past month I’ve felt like nothing has been right. I just didn’t know how to fix it. I’m so sorry.”

Peter continued to stare at you, those dark brown orbs giving away absolutely nothing. You continued. “I’ve been completely miserable and I know it’s all my own fault, but I still love you so much. I’ve been so upset that I’ve had breakup songs on pretty high rotation on my playlist. I think Tony’s about to ban FRIDAY from playing Taylor Swift ever again." 

Peter just looked at you, saying nothing, and your heart broke all over again. You didn’t think something that had already shattered into a million pieces could break any further and yet here you were. You wished he would just say something, anything, to break the tension between you.

“Peter, I…”

Peter suddenly grabbed your face and crashed his lips onto yours. He kissed you passionately, throwing every emotion he’d felt over the past month into that kiss. You responded in kind, grasping at him like he was your lifeline. You could hear the whoops and hollers of the others, but the only thing that mattered were the lips of the beautiful boy in front of you, moving in sync with yours. When you finally parted to catch your breath, Peter put his forehead on yours.

“Taylor Swift? Seriously?”

“Yeah well, desperate times call for desperate measures.”

He kissed you again, more tenderly this time. “You must have really missed me.” He grinned at you.  
  
“It felt like part of me was missing. I’m sorry. I made the biggest mistake of my life and I didn’t know how to make things right. I’m not very good at admitting that I’m wrong, Peter. But I was so, so wrong to break up with you. I love you so much and it physically hurt to be apart from you. I missed you.”  
  
“I missed you too, dork.” 

“Do you think we can try again? I’ll understand completely if you don’t want to, but I’d really like to try again.”  
  
Peter pulled you close and held you like he was never going to let you go. “I’d like that. I love you more than anything in the world. My heart hasn’t felt whole since we broke up.” He kissed you again. And again. And again.  
  
“Alright, if you two have finished sucking face, we’ve got a party going on over here.”  
  
“Shut up, Tony.” 

******

You and Peter were in your room after the party, making up for lost time. Your lips barely left each other, kissing as if your lives depended on it. You twined your fingers into Peter’s hair, gasping as he trailed hot, open-mouthed kisses along your neck. “Peter…” you moaned.

He looked at you, his hair dishevelled, panting heavily. “You should probably tell me to go back to my room. Because if you don’t, I’m not sure I’m going to be able to stop.”

“Then don’t stop.” His eyes widened. “Let me show you how much I missed you, Peter.”

You tugged at the hem of his shirt, trailing your fingers along his stomach. He didn’t stop you from removing his shirt, and he definitely didn’t stop you when you took yours off as well. In fact, he didn’t stop you from doing anything that night. He might even have done a few things to return the favour. After all, you both had a lot of making up to do.

You made up until well after the sun came up the next morning.


	12. Next stop, heartbreak. Population: You.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> All aboard the angst train once again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also the teensiest ickle bit of implied smut. Reminder that both reader and Peter are 18+.

Peter was excited, as he was going on his first significant mission. He’d been on several smaller ones, but they had just been minor issues that had only required one or two other team members, and he’d only been gone for a night or two at most. This time, the entire team, with the exception of yourself and Loki, would be heading to Russia to try and shut down a HYDRA base which Fury had discovered had recently been reactivated. You weren’t going because, despite your ability as a hacker and providing logistical support in the past, you were not yet an official Avenger (although you’d been dubbed the Avengers mascot by Scott, much to everyone’s amusement). Loki was still under virtual house arrest so he was not allowed to leave the compound, except in those rare circumstances where it was believed that his magic would be of assistance.

“I still don’t understand why you need to go,” you complained. “I don’t see how you swinging around like Tarzan is going to achieve anything.”  
  
Peter knew that you were upset that he was going to be gone for at least a week, and that you were just venting your frustration. “Babe, Director Fury wants all of us to go. This is a huge facility, and he needs as much manpower as he can get.”

You wrapped your arms around your boyfriend, holding him as close as you could. “I know. I’m just going to miss you, that’s all. And I’m worried about you.”  
  
He pressed a kiss to the top of your head. “I’m going to be fine. You know the others will keep an eye out for me. I need to learn how to work with the entire team, not just one or two of them.”  
  
Sighing heavily, you held Peter tighter. “I can’t help it. I know I always worry any time the team goes on a mission, but it’s different this time. It’s _you._ I’m going to be anxious from the moment the Quinjet leaves until the second I see you walk back through the door, safe and sound.”

Peter kissed you again. “I promise I will come back to you in one piece. I’m pretty sure Steve and Tony will make sure of it.”  
  
You untangled yourself from his embrace and went to your desk. You rummaged around under papers and books until you found what you were looking for. Sitting back down next to Peter, you handed him a small device. He looked at you quizzically. “It’s your new StarkPhone,” you grinned at him. “It’s the latest design. Everybody on the team has one. I’ve synced the music with mine, so whatever you listen to, I’ll hear in real time, and vice versa.”  
  
He scanned through the music app, and frowned when he noticed one playlist in particular. He opened it and laughed at the title. “You named this playlist _‘I’m going to miss Peter Parker’s stupid face while he’s off superheroing like a big boy’_?”  
  
You scrunched your nose up at him. “Yep, because I _am_ going to miss your stupid, gorgeous, dorky face every day that you are away from me. This is just a bunch of songs that remind me of you, so I’m going to be listening to them on repeat until you get back. Because, you know, I love you and stuff.”

Putting the phone back on your desk, Peter gathered you in his arms and dragged you onto the bed. “You know, I don’t have to leave until tomorrow morning. So that gives us,” glancing at your clock, “another twelve hours or so before you officially have to start missing me.” He winked at you suggestively, a smirk on his face.  
  
“Oh good. So I have plenty of time to show you _just how much_ I’m going to miss you then.” You pulled him down for a kiss, and soon both of you forgot about everything except how good it felt to be together.

****** 

The next morning, you refused to let go of Peter until he absolutely had to board the Quinjet. You sat with your fingers intertwined, constantly touching his face or running your fingers through his hair, eyes roaming over his face just in case you forgot what he looked like the moment he was out of your sight. Peter accepted this with a defeated expression and a sigh of resignation. The others were going to tease him mercilessly about this, but he couldn’t bring himself to care.

When the time came for the team to leave, you hugged everyone and wished them all luck and told them all to stay safe. When you got to Tony, you made him promise to keep Peter out of trouble. “I’ll do my best, Y/N, but you know, he’s pretty resilient. I doubt he’s going to need any of us helping him.”  
  
“Still, he can’t rely on luck all the time. We’ll make sure he comes back in one piece,” Steve assured you. You gave him a grateful hug.

As Peter was about to board, you pulled him into a passionate embrace, not caring that the rest of the team was catcalling and jeering. When you pulled away to catch your breath, you pressed your forehead to his and said, “I love you. Stay safe, Spidey.”  
  
“I love you too, Y/N. I’ll be back before you know it.” He gave you another quick kiss and waved as he boarded the Quinjet.

You absolutely _did not_ have tears in your eyes as the team lifted off, and Loki definitely didn’t find you standing on the helipad almost an hour after they’d left, trying to convince yourself that you could still see them in the distance. 

******

There was minimal contact with the team during their time away, just a few minutes each night to let you know that everyone was safe. You didn’t get to speak to Peter at all, but Tony assured you that he was doing a good job and that he hadn’t done anything significantly stupid to date, which you were relieved to hear. Peter had a habit of going off script on occasion, so it would be good for him to learn some discipline and to stick to the plan as much as possible.

While the team was busy in Russia, Loki did his best to distract you. He knew you fretted over Peter’s safety, as well as that of everybody else, and so he did what he could to take your mind off the mission as much as possible. He made sure you went out of the Compound at least once a day, even if it was just to the roof, so that you weren’t cooped up. He ensured that you ate regularly, watched trashy movies with you, and bullied you into getting to bed at a decent hour. You appreciated his efforts.

On the second night that the team was away, you knocked on Loki’s door. He looked at you, puzzled. “What’s wrong, kitten?”  
  
“I can’t sleep.” Since you and Peter started officially dating, you’d spent most evenings together, holding each other through the night, and as a result you were now finding it difficult to relax without him. “Can I stay with you?”  
  
Loki waved you into his room. “Shall we watch a movie? Or would you like me to read to you?”  
  
Sitting on his bed, you shook your head. “Would you mind just holding me? Peter usually holds me until I fall asleep, and I guess I’ve gotten used to it.”  
  
He chuckled softly. “So, I’m your substitute cuddler in his absence?”  
  
“Well, you do give pretty good cuddles.” You gave him your best puppy dog face, and he gave in with a good-natured laugh. Gathering you in his arms, he lay with you on his bed, softly singing Asgardian lullabies to you. You breathed in his scent; Loki smelled like pine needles and citrus and freshly fallen snow. It was different to Peter, but still comforting in its own way. Slowly, your breathing became softer. Sleepily, you smiled at Loki. “Thanks for letting me stay with you, Loki.”  
  
He kissed your hair. “You are more than welcome, sweetling. I’m more than happy to be your snuggle buddy whenever Peter is away.”

You sighed happily, and drifted off to sleep in the arms of your friend. 

******

Your StarkPhone pinged with a message.

_*Miss you dork. Love you heaps. PP xoxo*_  
  
You smiled as you replied to Peter.

_*Miss your stupid face too. Hurry back home. XOXOXO*_

Suddenly, a song started playing and you realised that Peter was listening to the playlist you’d set up for him. The tinkling piano of Dua Lipa’s _‘Homesick’_ sounded through your room. 

_Here, where the sky's falling_  
_I'm covered in blue_  
 _I'm running and I'm crawling_  
 _Fighting for you_  
 _When the rain stops_  
 _Then, darling, what will I do_  
 _And I know I go all in_  
 _But why do I_

_You give me a reason_  
_Something to believe in_  
 _I know, I know, I know_  
 _You give me a meaning_  
 _Something I can breathe in_  
 _I know, I know, I know_  
 _It's a bittersweet feeling_  
 _Longing and I'm leaving_  
 _I go, I go, I go_  
 _But I wish I was there with you_  
 _Oh, I wish I was there with you_

You closed your eyes, imagining that Peter was with you, his arms wrapped around you protectively like they were every night when he was home.

_There's a crack in my window_  
_A bird in my room_  
 _Angels all over_  
 _That watch over you_  
 _When I'm walking on water_  
 _All my dreams have come true_  
 _Still, nothing means nothing_  
 _Without you, you_

_You give me a reason_   
_Something to believe in_   
_I know, I know, I know_   
_You give me a meaning_   
_Something I can breathe in_   
_I know, I know, I know_   
_It's a bittersweet feeling_   
_Longing and I'm leaving_   
_I go, I go, I go_   
_Tell my heart to lie_   
_But I know deep inside it's true_   
_That I wish I was there with you_   
_That I wish I was there with you_   
_Oh, I wish I was there with you_

As the song reached its conclusion, you stifled a sob. It was a beautiful song, but it also broke your heart a little bit. It was saying everything you were feeling in Peter’s absence.

_You give me a reason_   
_Something to believe in_   
_I know, I know, I know_   
_You give me a meaning_   
_Something I can breathe in_   
_I know, I know, I know_   
_It's a bittersweet feeling_   
_Longing and I'm leaving_   
_I go, I go, I go_   
_Tell my heart to lie_   
_But I know deep inside it's true_   
_That I wish I was there with you_   
_That I wish I was there with you_   
_Oh, I wish I was there with you_

You knew that Peter was telling you how much he missed you, and it touched your heart. You missed him more desperately than you thought you would, and couldn’t wait for him to return.

_*I wish I was there with you, too, Spidey. Love you <3*_

_*G/night Y/N. See you soon <3*_

Peter couldn’t come home soon enough.

******

Something was wrong. The team should have been back last night, and there had been absolutely no word from them. You kept glancing anxiously towards the helipad, hoping to see the Quinjet. You were wearing a path in the carpet from the relentless pacing that you were doing. Even Loki was starting to feel concerned with the lack of contact.

Finally, almost ten hours after they were originally due to return, the Quinjet landed. You raced out to meet them, desperate to see Peter and the others. However, as soon as the ramp on the Quinjet was lowered, you immediately knew that something was wrong. Tony was severely bruised, Clint had his right arm in a sling, and Scott was bandaged in several places. All of the others had various cuts and bruises. It appeared that none of them had managed to avoid even minor injuries. The one person you hadn’t found yet was the only one that you cared about at this point in time. 

Steve came straight to you and gathered you in his arms. Confused, you looked into his deep blue eyes. You suddenly felt uneasy. “Steve, what’s wrong? Where’s Peter?”

Suddenly you noticed that Bruce and Sam were wheeling a stretcher between them, rushing towards the medical bay. A limp form lay on the stretcher, and you saw the familiar red and blue combat suit. Uncomprehending, you continued to stare after them, not hearing Steve talking to you. It was only when he shook you gently that you looked back at him, noting the concern in his eyes. “What’s going on, Steve?”  
  
He took a deep breath. “We were on the way back to the jet. We thought we’d managed to neutralise everything. Bucky…” Another deep breath. “Bucky got ambushed by a couple of HYDRA agents that we’d somehow missed. Peter managed to get him out of the way, but he… he was hurt.”  
  
Your voice quavered. “He’s going to be fine though, isn’t he? You promised me he’d be alright.”  
  
Steve stared into your eyes. “Y/N, he was shot. Several times. And as we were trying to get to him… the base exploded, and Peter bore the brunt of it. He’s in pretty bad shape.”  
  
You shook your head. This wasn’t happening. Tony and Steve had _sworn_ to you that Peter was going to be safe. “No. No, he’s going to be fine. He’ll be fine.”  
  
“Y/N, he’s lost a lot of blood. We almost lost him on the way back here.”  
  
You tore yourself out of Steve’s grip. “NO! You’re lying!”  
  
“Y/N…” Steve went to grab you again, but you avoided his grasp.  
  
“No! Stay away from me! You promised me you’d keep him safe!” You raced towards the medical bay, ignoring Steve’s calls to stay out of the way. All you knew was that Peter needed you, and nobody was going to keep you from him a second longer. 

******

Somehow, Sam managed to hold you back from barging into the operating room. “Y/N, you absolutely cannot go in there!”  
  
You struggled against his grip. “He needs me, Sam! I need to be in there with him!”  
  
Sam held firm. “ _No._ Under no circumstances are you going into that operating theatre. Bruce and Dr Cho and the medical team are handling things.” He turned you around and looked at you. “Peter’s in the best possible hands right now.”  
  
“I need to see him. I need to know he’s going to be ok.”

Sam pulled you into his chest and rested his chin on top of your head. “The medics are doing the best they can. They will make sure he’s ok.”  
  
Quietly, you asked, “What happened, Sam? Steve said he was shot.”  
  
“Yeah, he got shot saving Barnes. Pushed him out of the way of a couple of HYDRA agents and ended up taking the bullets meant for Bucky. Then, before we could drag him back to safety, the base blew up. He got hit with a lot of shrapnel.”

He paused briefly, contemplating just how much to tell you, before deciding that you deserved the whole truth. “I’m not gonna lie to you, Y/N. It’s pretty touch and go. He’s lost a lot of blood, lots of internal injuries. Bruce and I weren’t in a position to try and get the bullets out while we were in transit. We had our work cut out for us just trying to minimise the bleeding and getting him stabilised.”  
  
Your lower lip trembled as you fixed your gaze on Sam. “Please tell me he’s going to be alright.”  
  
“I wish I could, cupcake. But I’ll be honest, his injuries are pretty serious. It’s gonna be a while before we know for sure that he’s out of the woods.”

You moved to the window overlooking the operating theatre. Peter was hooked up to all sorts of machines. The medical team was bustling around, handing instruments back and forth. You gripped Sam’s hand tightly, and he moved to stand behind you, wrapping you in a solid hug. “He’s a fighter, Y/N. And we have the best medical team available right here. They’ll do everything they can to get him through this.”

Out of the corner of your eye, you saw Tony, Steve, Bucky and Loki enter the medical bay. Loki came and stood next to you, and you untangled yourself from Sam’s embrace and moved into the god’s arms. Your friend held you tightly, pressing a kiss to the back of your head and softly murmuring words of reassurance. 

Suddenly, you noticed that the surgical team below had become frantic. Bruce grabbed the defibrillator and placed the paddles against Peter’s chest. You watched his body jolt as the electrical current travelled through his torso.

“PETER!” you screamed, before collapsing in Loki’s arms.

******

Oh Norns. That scream. Loki would give his life to never hear you scream like that again. It sounded as if your soul had been ripped from your body. He stared at your prone form in fright.

Sam gently removed you from Loki’s arms, and spoke softly. “She’s fainted. She’ll be alright, but we should probably get her into a bed.” He picked you up and carried you to an empty room, placing you on the cot. He checked your pulse and blood pressure, and when he was reassured that you were alright, he sighed with relief. “It’s most likely just from the stress of the situation. She’s going to be fine.”  
  
Loki hovered near you, clasping one of your hands in both of his. He was worried; he’d never seen you so vulnerable before. Loki felt helpless, and he was not sure that he liked the feeling.

Slowly, you came around. Blinking in confusion, you looked up at Loki and the others. “What happened?”  
  
You attempted to sit up, but Sam pushed you back down gently. “You fainted. You gave us all a bit of a scare.”  
  
“Peter…” you whispered, remembering the horror you’d felt as you watched Bruce trying to shock Peter’s heart to begin beating again. “Is Peter ok?”  
  
Sam looked at you. “The medical team is still working on him. They managed to get his heart started again, so that’s a good sign.”  
  
You struggled to get up again, but Sam pushed you back firmly. “You need to rest here for a bit longer. I want to make sure your blood pressure is ok before I let you go back out there.” Realising that you were not going to win this argument, you nodded to Sam.

After what felt like an eternity, you were allowed to return to the area overlooking the surgery. Loki made sure you sat in a chair, not willing to risk you collapsing again. You stared at the scene below you, not moving. Tony and Steve came and stood behind you, their presence providing you with a small measure of comfort.

Suddenly, you felt a hand on your shoulder. You looked up and saw Director Fury standing there. “How is he doing?”  
  
You flew out of the chair and shook his hand off your shoulder. “How is he doing?” you hissed at him, then stunned those present by slapping his face. “ _How is he doing?_ He is in that operating theatre because of you!” You slapped him again.

“Y/N…” Tony began, but you cut him off.  
  
“It is YOUR fault that Peter is in surgery!” you shrieked, punching Fury in the chest. “YOU sent him on that mission! If it wasn’t for you, none of this would have happened!”  
  
Fury stared at you, his expression inscrutable. You continued your tirade. “You knew he wasn’t ready for this. He’s too young! He needs more experience, but _no_! You decided that he just HAD to be a part of that stupid mission.” Each sentence was punctuated by a punch to Fury’s chest. “The only reason that Peter is in there right now is because of you. If anything happens to him, I will NEVER forgive you!”

You started sobbing uncontrollably. Fury accepted your wrath, feeling that in some small way it was warranted. He knew that you were lashing out in your hurt, and he accepted that he had some responsibility for how you were currently feeling.

Steve dragged you away from Fury and gathered you to his chest, muttering softly into your hair, trying to calm you down. He stared at the Director over the top of your head. “Perhaps you should leave, Director.”

Fury glanced at you, then nodded. “Keep me updated.” Then he turned and left.

Steve continued to hold you, quietly reassuring you that everything was going to be alright.

******

Bucky came and sat on the floor next to your chair, laying his head in your lap. “I’m sorry, Y/N. It’s my fault that Peter got hurt.” He had a haunted, guilty expression on his face.

You carded your fingers through Bucky’s hair. “It’s not your fault, Bucky. I don’t blame you.”  
  
He smiled sadly at you. “Thanks, doll. I still feel bad, though. He got injured because he was saving me.”  
  
“And you’d have done the same for him. And we’d be feeling the same way if anything had happened to you.”

Bucky stared at you with those incredibly blue eyes of his. “Doll, you know Fury isn’t to blame either, right?” When you refused to answer, he sighed. “Y/N, this is not the Director’s fault. It’s HYDRA’s.”  
  
“HYDRA weren’t the ones that sent Peter to that base in the first place,” you replied bitterly.  
  
“True, but if it wasn’t for HYDRA, _none_ of us would have had to be there. Fury made a call, people got hurt. It happens in our line of work.”

You continued to stare through the glass window at the surgery below. It had been nearly eight hours since the team had returned to the Compound. Surely they were finished with Peter by now. What more could they possibly need to do?

Bucky pulled you from the chair into his lap and wrapped his arms around you. “Doll, I know you’re angry and frightened, but blaming Fury is not going to help. Peter was doing his job. He saved my life.”  
  
You snuggled into the super-soldier’s chest. “I’m scared, Bucky. What if… if…” You couldn’t finish the thought. You burst into tears again. “I don’t want to think about the possibility of a world without Peter in it. That’s just too horrible to contemplate.”  
  
Bucky kissed your temple and rubbed circles on your back, soothing you. “Bruce and the other docs are doing everything they can. They’ll get Peter through this.”

You fell into an exhausted sleep in Bucky’s lap, hoping that he was right. 

******

You were woken up by someone gently shaking your shoulder. Opening your eyes, you looked into Bruce’s kind but exhausted gaze. You scrambled to your feet, a feat made more difficult because you were still in Bucky’s lap. “Bruce, what’s happening?”

Bucky also stood up, holding on to you to ensure you didn’t collapse again. Steve and Tony came over as well, both eager to hear the prognosis.  
  
He smiled gently at you. “Well, Peter’s out of surgery. We had to give him several blood transfusions because he’d lost so much blood. It took a while to get all the bullets out, but we managed. The biggest issue was the internal trauma he’d suffered because of all the shrapnel and his proximity to the bomb blast.” Bruce ran a hand through his hair, sighing deeply. “He’s stable, but the next twenty-four to forty-eight hours are going to be critical. If he makes it through the next couple of days without any significant setbacks, then I’m pretty confident he’s going to be fine.”  
  
You sagged against Bucky with relief. “Can I see him?”  
  
“We’re moving him to a recovery ward. I’ll need to check that everything is set up to monitor him. I’ll come and get you when he’s settled, ok?”

You threw your arms around Bruce, who returned your hug somewhat awkwardly. “Thank you, Bruce.” Patting your shoulder, he headed to the recovery ward to check on Peter.

After about half an hour, Bruce collected you and showed you to the room where Peter was staying. He was hooked up to all sorts of monitors and IV’s and machines that went ‘ping’. A respirator assisted with his breathing. He was incredibly pale. _He looks so young_ , you thought to yourself. You sat next to his bed, holding his hand and pushing his hair back from his face.  
  
Looking at Bruce, you asked, “Is it ok if I stay with him?” Bruce nodded. It didn’t matter if he’d said no, you would have stayed anyway.

You were never letting Peter Parker out of your sight ever again.


	13. Well, clearly this wasn’t part of the plan…

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More angst. Gah! Happiness will follow soon, I promise.

Tony had called Aunt May to advise her of the situation, and she rushed to the Avengers Facility as soon as she could. She spent her time between Peter’s hospital room and the guest apartment that Tony had set up for her. She had been frantic at first, but once she saw for herself that he was stable and Bruce had explained everything to her, she was much calmer, and was willing to leave him for short periods during the day, and sleep in the comfort of the apartment every evening.

You, on the other hand, refused to leave Peter’s side. Tony, Steve and Loki had all tried in vain to get you to leave, even for a few minutes just to get some fresh air or a bite to eat, but you ignored their pleas. In the end, May ensured that she brought a change of clothes for you each morning, and you left him only long enough to have a quick shower in the adjacent bathroom. The others took turns bringing your meals to you, although more often than not these remained relatively untouched by you. Loki brought books for you, and you read these aloud to Peter, as Bruce had mentioned that it was believed that patients in a coma could hear the voices of those around them. You slept on the sofa next to his hospital cot, holding his hand through the night.

Tony became increasingly concerned about your wellbeing. You had dark circles under your eyes, and your complexion grew pale. Bruce promised to keep an eye on you every time he checked on Peter. Everyone else took turns to check up on you, as they also were worried about you, and compared reports with each other. Wanda ensured she sent calming thoughts to your mind whenever she checked on you. You barely acknowledged anybody’s presence, your attention focused solely on the young man you loved.

It had been five days since Peter had been brought out of surgery, and there was still no sign of him waking up any time soon. Loki had finally managed to convince you to leave the room for five minutes - he couldn’t get you to agree to any longer than that - so that you could at least stretch your legs. As you stood up, you felt a wave of nausea hit you. You waved Loki back, saying, “I’m fine, just a bit dizzy from sitting still for so long.”  
  
You took a few steps towards Loki, and felt sick once again. Black spots appeared before your eyes, and you noticed a ringing in your ears. As he took a step towards you, you pitched forwards, the floor rising up to meet you. The god managed to catch you before you hit the floor, crying out for Bruce in alarm. 

******

Loki hovered over you, basically getting in Bruce’s way as he tried to find out what caused you to pass out. Bruce checked your blood pressure, and took a blood sample when you woke up. He ordered a whole variety of tests in order to rule out anything serious.  
  
“What is wrong with her, Dr Banner?” asked Loki anxiously. “Is it due to lack of sleep? She is certainly not eating enough. I fear that she is not taking care of herself due to her concern for Peter.”  
  
Bruce ground his teeth in frustration. “Loki, I understand that you are worried about Y/N, but right now, I need you to leave so I can examine her properly.” He didn’t really need to kick the god out, but Loki was driving him to distraction and he just wanted an excuse to get rid of him. “I promise I will advise you if anything significant occurs.”  
  
Once Loki vacated your room, Bruce started checking the lab results as they came to hand. Frowning, he checked the next set of results. Once the bloodwork had been returned, he had a much clearer picture of what had caused your recent episodes of blacking out.

“So, what’s the verdict, Bruce?” you asked nervously.

Bruce had the most serious expression you’d ever seen on his face. “Well, there are several reasons for your recent fainting spells. The first, obviously, is stress about what happened with Peter. The emotional toll has been extremely heavy on you. Next, you are exhausted because you are not sleeping properly, so your body is reacting negatively to lack of rest. Also, because you are not eating regularly, your blood sugar is low which is causing you to pass out.”  
  
You looked at Bruce. “What else?” He returned your gaze solemnly. “I get the feeling there’s something you’re not telling me, Bruce. What else is wrong with me?”  
  
He sighed. “I wouldn’t say that there’s anything _wrong,_ per se,” he began. Rubbing his face with his hands, he sat on the edge of your hospital bed and grabbed your hands in his. “Y/N, the main reason that you keep fainting is because… well…”

You grew alarmed at his pause. “Just tell me, Bruce!”  
  
“Y/N… you’re pregnant.”

******

No. _No no no no no_ , this could not be happening. Bruce did not just say what you thought he just said.  
  
Pregnant. 

You were pregnant.

How was this possible?  
  
Well, obviously you knew _how_ it was possible. Just, wow, really, the universe has shitty timing with stuff like this, doesn’t it?

“Y/N, are you ok?” Bruce asked gently.

You shook your head. “Are you sure I’m… pregnant?”  
  
He nodded. “The bloodwork and urine sample both show high levels of human chorionic gonadotropin, or hCG, which is a hormone that’s produced during pregnancy. Based on the levels, I’d say you’re at least eight weeks along. Of course, we could do an ultrasound to confirm exactly how many weeks you are.”  
  
You put your head in your hands. “How the hell did this happen?”  
  
Bruce gave you a sympathetic look. “I’m guessing that you and Peter usually took precautions?”  
  
You were grateful that he was being understanding rather than judgmental. “Yeah, we’re normally pretty responsible about that sort of thing.”  
  
He smiled ruefully. “Well, obviously there was one time that you weren’t.”

Sighing, you flopped back onto the pillow on the cot. “That’s all it takes, isn’t it?” You thought back to when you could possibly have been so stupid. “Shit,” you groaned. “It was the night of the graduation party. When Peter and I got back together. We went to bed so late, and we were tired and I guess neither of us was really thinking very clearly.”

Bruce patted your shoulder. “Well, at least now we know what the issue is, so now we can focus on making sure you’re physically and emotionally well enough to cope with this. So this is the part where I lecture you about making sure that you take care of yourself because you have somebody else to think about now.” He grinned at you and chuckled softly. “This is also the part where you pretend to listen to everything I’m saying.”

You nodded. “If I promise to do what you say, do you promise not to tell anybody?”  
  
Bruce looked concerned. “Y/N, you can’t keep something like this a secret.”  
  
“And I don’t intend to,” you assured him. “It’s just… I think Peter has the right to know first.”

Bruce quirked an eyebrow at you. You continued, “I know he’s in a coma, and most likely can’t hear me, but I really want to tell him first. I promise I will tell everybody else soon. Just… let me tell Peter first, ok?”  
  
He nodded, and gave you an awkward hug. “Alright. I’ll tell everybody about the exhaustion and lack of sleep, but I’ll leave the rest of it to you. How does that sound?”  
  
“That sounds great. Thank you, Bruce,” you replied gratefully.

******

Sitting at Peter’s bedside once again, you held his hand in both of yours and pressed a kiss to his palm. Holding his hand up to your face, you sighed.  
  
“I really don’t know if you can hear me, Peter, but I’m going to tell you this now anyway, before my courage fails me.” You took a deep breath, gathering your thoughts.  
  
“Ok, here goes. Peter Parker, you have to wake up, because I need you now more than I ever have before. I need you to help me. Because I’m not sure that I can do this on my own.” Taking another breath, you went on in a whisper. “I’m pregnant, Peter. I’m having a baby. _Your_ baby. And I can’t do this alone. I need you. So you open your eyes, do you hear me?”

You pressed a kiss to his forehead. “Please wake up. I need you. Our baby needs you.”

You heard a crash, and the sound of a glass shattering. Turning around in alarm, you saw Aunt May standing in the doorway, completely ignoring the smashed coffee cup at her feet. “What did you say?”  
  
You blanched. “Aunt May…”

She rushed over to you and grabbed you by the shoulders. “Y/N, did I hear you correctly? Did I hear you say that you are pregnant?”  
  
Tears formed in your eyes, and you slowly nodded. May pulled you into a fierce hug, then pulled away to look in your eyes. “So, Peter knocked you up, huh?” She sounded… amused.  
  
“Wait, are you not upset?” you asked, puzzled by her reaction.

“Oh, no dear, I’m furious. But also ridiculously ecstatic. I remember what it was like to be a hormonal teenager, and I know how much you and Peter love each other. So I have to say I’m not entirely surprised by this development. I just always thought that you guys would wait a few years before expanding our family, you know?”

“Well, it wasn’t exactly like we planned for this to happen,” you admitted.

May kept an arm around your shoulders. “Sweetie, all I know is that you are going to be a great mother, and Peter is going to be an excellent father, and I am going to spoil this child rotten.”

You were relieved that Aunt May seemed to accept your predicament. You weren’t quite so sure of the reception you were going to receive from everyone else. 

******

All eyes turned to you when you entered the common room. To say that they were surprised would be an understatement, as you’d practically been glued to Peter’s bedside since they’d returned from the mission. May had promised to stay with Peter while you broke the news to everyone else.

Tony rushed over to you and wrapped you in a tight hug. “Hey, kiddo. You had us all worried sick, you know that?” He kissed your forehead in a rare display of emotion.

“I’m sorry. I guess I was so focussed on how Peter was doing, I kind of forgot to take care of myself as well. I promise it won’t happen again.”  
  
“Damn straight, it won’t.” Tony had yet to relinquish his hold on you, but it was obvious that everybody else was dying to embrace you, so he eventually gave in with relatively little grumbling. Once you’d received a hug from everyone, you sat down between Bucky and Clint, feeling instinctively that they would be the least judgmental of what you had to say. 

Nat was the first to break the silence. “So Y/N, Bruce tells us that you were exhausted and not eating properly. We’re going to make sure that you get enough to eat and actually get some sleep, so from now on one of us is going to drag you out of that room at regular intervals. No arguments.”  
  
“I promise I’m going to take better care of myself, Nat. I kind of have to.” You looked at everyone, and gained a bit of courage when Bruce nodded encouragingly at you. “There was another reason I kept fainting.”  
  
Steve and Tony looked the most concerned. “What’s wrong? Is it anything serious?” Steve asked.

You shrugged. “Oh, it’s nothing that won’t resolve itself in about nine months or so.”  
  
Blank stares greeted you, and you huffed in exasperation. “OK, there’s no way to break this gently, so I’m just going to come out and say it. The main reason I’ve been passing out is because I’m pregnant.”  
  
The silence was deafening. Several pairs of eyes blinked at you in confusion. Scott found his voice first. “I must be getting old, and my hearing is playing up. I could have sworn that you just said that you were pregnant.”  
  
You sighed. “You’re not hearing things, Scott. I am, in fact, pregnant.”  
  
Bruce piped up at this point. “It’s true. I ran the bloodwork and a few other tests. Y/N is definitely pregnant.”  
  
Tony looked like he’d just been told that dinosaurs still existed. “Are you telling me that you have been… doing the do… with Underoos?” His comment would have been funny under other circumstances.

“Way to make something so intimate sound so ridiculous, Stark,” grumbled Clint. He put a protective arm around your shoulders. Clint had always been like a big brother to you, and damned if he was going to let Tony give you shit at a time like this. What you needed was support, not ridicule.

“Tony, both Y/N and Peter are over the age of consent, and they’ve been in a pretty committed relationship for well over the past year. To be honest, I’d be more surprised if they _hadn’t_ been intimate by this time,” Steve said. You were surprised that Captain America, of all people, would be supportive of the physical nature of your relationship with Peter, given your young age and unwed status. No Eyebrows of Disappointment at your news, just a look of relief at finally having an explanation for why you’d fainted.

Tony shook himself. “I’m just… I’m sorry, I guess I’m just surprised. I mean, I always thought Parker was such a goody-goody. I didn’t realise he had it in him.”

Sam looked at you gravely. “I thought you and Peter were more responsible than this. You both always seem to be so… mature.”  
  
You wilted a bit. “We usually are, Sam. Obviously the one time we weren’t was one time too many.” Tears started to well in your eyes, and Tony looked at you in alarm. He didn’t really deal with emotions very well.

“Hey, kid, don’t cry! I’m not mad, honest. I don’t think anyone else is either. Just… a bit stunned. I always thought the whole baby thing would happen after you guys were married, is all.”  
  
You gazed at your cousin. “You expected Peter and I to get married and have kids?”  
  
“Sure! I’ve already planned the wedding. I wasn’t going to let anything happen until you were at least twenty-one of course, but after that you’re good to go!” You were almost positive he was joking, but it was Tony after all, so there was always the distinct possibility that he was telling you the truth. This was the man who bet on a relationship between you and Peter well before either of you admitted you were attracted to each other.

“Well, I’m going to get back to Peter. I want to be there when he wakes up.” You started to head back to the medical wing.

Before you’d taken half a dozen steps, you felt yourself pulled backwards by Tony. He embraced you again roughly. “I love you, Y/N. And I am going to do whatever is necessary to help you get through this. Don’t ever think that I’m disappointed in you, OK?” He kissed your temple and pushed you towards the elevator. “Now go back to Daddy dearest.” He shuddered. “OK, that just sounds wrong.”

Laughing softly, you headed back to Peter, feeling the weight had been lifted from your shoulders now that the team understood what you were going through. You just hoped that Peter would wake up soon, so that you could go through it together.

******

As you were walking back to Peter’s room, Loki joined you. “Is it true?” he asked softly.  
  
You tilted your head to the side as you looked at your friend. “Is what true, Loki?”  
  
He stopped walking and grabbed your hand, his emerald eyes probing your face. “Are you with child?”

Your lips twitched at the Asgardian’s somewhat archaic phrasing of your condition. “Yes, Loki. The rumours are correct. I am pregnant.”

His face was an interesting combination of relief, joy and disappointment. Relief at finally understanding what had been causing your recent collapses; joy at the thought of you bringing a new life into the world; and disappointment because it was yet further proof that Peter was bound to you in a way that Loki would never be. The god still harboured a love for you that he knew could never be reciprocated, and whilst he would never act upon those feelings out of his respect for your relationship with Peter and his friendship with both of you, it still pained his heart that this was a part of your life that he could not share in the same way that Peter would.

“Well then, I suppose congratulations are in order,” he smiled at you. He pulled you into a warm embrace.  
  
“Thank you, Loki. But there’s a long way to go yet, so maybe let’s hold off any celebrations until we know that Peter is going to be alright.” You opened the door to Peter’s hospital room, and gave the god a small smile before going inside and shutting the door.


	14. Crap, you mean we actually have to start adulting now?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter finally wakes up, but may just pass out again.

It had been a week since the mission that had nearly cost Peter his life, and two days since you had discovered that you were pregnant. The respirator had been removed the day before, and Peter was breathing steadily on his own. You were holding his hand and softly singing to him. Suddenly, you thought you felt his fingers move ever so slightly. Maybe you imagined it. You gave his hand a small squeeze, and whispered, “Peter? If you can hear me, squeeze my hand.” Sure enough, a small twitch, barely noticeable but you definitely felt it.

You noticed his eyelids twitching, and hastily pressed the call button next to his bed. A nurse came in. “I think he’s waking up. Can you let Dr Banner or Dr Cho know, please?” The nurse nodded and left to find someone. 

After a few minutes, Bruce entered the room. “Y/N, you said Peter’s regaining consciousness?”  
  
“I think so, Bruce. He twitched his fingers a little bit, and I saw that his eyelids were fluttering a tiny bit.”

You moved out of the way so Bruce could examine Peter. He opened one of Peter’s eyelids and flashed a small light into his eye, nodding with satisfaction that his pupils seemed to be responding to the stimulus. Bruce poked and prodded Peter a bit more, and grinned when his foot twitched when tickled with a pen. “Well, it definitely looks like he’s coming around. I’d say he’s pretty much recovered, given his accelerated healing factor. But once he’s fully conscious, I’m going to need him to stay here for another couple of days just to make sure there are no setbacks.”

“He’s definitely OK?” Your heart soared when Bruce nodded. “Good, it’s taken him long enough.” You were relieved enough to tease, which Bruce took as a good sign for your emotional state.

“Call me back when he’s fully alert,” Bruce requested.

When Bruce left the room, you spoke to Peter. “Alright, Parker, that’s enough. You’ve slept for a week. Time to rise and shine.”  
  
After what felt like an eternity, he whispered your name. _“y/n?”_ he said, so softly you almost didn’t hear it.

“Who else? You didn’t think you’d get rid of me that easily, did you?”

Peter’s eyelids slowly fluttered open. He blinked several times at you, but appeared to have difficulty focussing his eyes. He tried speaking, but had trouble due to not using his voice for a week. You put a straw in a glass of water and held it to his lips. “Just take a small sip, you don’t want to overdo it just yet,” you ordered.

He smiled softly at you. “Hey you,” he whispered.

“Hey yourself, Sleeping Beauty,” you grinned at him, relieved. “Glad to see you finally decided to wake up.” You sat on the edge of his bed and pressed a soft kiss to his lips.

Peter tried to sit up, groaning with the effort. You adjusted the bed for him, using the remote control on the bedside table. “How long was I out for?” he asked. 

You scrunched your face up. “You were unconscious for a week. You scared the crap out of all of us. Aunt May has been a nervous wreck.”

He looked apologetic. “Sorry. I kind of went back on my promise to come back in one piece, didn’t I?”  
  
“Yep. So you are in heaps of trouble, mister.” You adjusted your position on the bed so that you could put your arm around his shoulders, and he rested his head on your shoulder. You pressed the call button and asked the nurse to fetch Bruce. He came in and smiled when he noticed that Peter was awake.

“How do you feel?” Bruce asked.  
  
“Like I’ve been shot,” Peter grimaced. “And maybe got blown up a bit.”

You snorted. “Yes, well, that’s what happens when I let you out of my sight for longer than five minutes. Don’t think I’m letting that happen again in a hurry.”

You hopped off the bed so that Bruce could make sure everything was fine, and left the room to tell everyone that Peter was finally awake.

******

Aunt May hugged Peter so tightly that he was frightened that he might lose consciousness again. “Don’t you ever scare me like that again, young man!” she scolded. Peter mumbled that it wasn’t his fault, to which Aunt May just held him tighter.

Steve, Bucky and Sam all shook his hand and welcomed him back to the land of the living. Bucky was especially pleased to see him awake, and thanked him for saving his life. He still felt guilty that Peter was injured because of him, but Peter told him to stop blaming himself.

Nat smacked his head gently and told him that he needed a dose of cognitive recalibration in order for him to gain some common sense. Clint told him to ignore Natasha, and that she was only acting that way because she was scared to death for him, a fact which Nat vehemently denied.

The rest of the team filtered in and out over the next couple of hours, making sure for themselves that Peter was fine. Not that they didn’t trust Bruce, but it was always nice to get confirmation for themselves that everything was alright.

Loki wore such a relieved expression on his face that Peter suspected the God of Mischief actually cared about him just a tiny bit. Loki of course denied any such thing.

Even Director Fury stopped by, pausing in the doorway. “Am I allowed in, or are you going to punch me again?”  
  
Peter stared at you in disbelief. “You punched Director Fury?” he whispered, horrified.

Fury shrugged. “She was annoyed with me. Can’t say I blame her under the circumstances. She’s got a mean right hook.”  
  
You walked over to Fury. “I’m really sorry, Director. I should never have attacked you like that. It was way out of line, and I apologise.” You fixed your gaze on the Director, hoping he could see the sincerity in your face.  
  
Fury was actually quite fond of you, and couldn’t bring himself to be overly upset with your reaction when Peter was in danger. “Apology accepted, Y/N.”

You threw your arms around Fury’s waist, who was stunned but accepted your embrace gruffly. “Does this mean we’re friends again, Director?”  
  
“Of course.” He stepped towards Peter and shook his hand. “Glad to see you’re still with us, Mr Parker. You won’t be going on any more missions until you get a full medical clearance, both physical and psychological. I anticipate that won’t occur for several months.” His lips twitched. “I’d say nine at the very least.”

You rolled your eyes. _Of course_ Fury knew about the pregnancy. He shook hands again with a very confused Peter, nodded at you, and left as abruptly as he’d arrived.

******

“I heard you talking to me when I was unconscious,” Peter said softly.

You stiffened, your arms tightening around his shoulders. “You could hear me?”  
  
He nodded. “I could hear your voice, but I couldn’t really make out the words. I just knew it was you. It made me feel safe.”  
  
Your heart started beating again. “So you have no idea what I was actually saying to you?”  
  
“Not really. It was just comforting to hear you.” He looked at you. “Why, what did you say?”

You waved your hands dismissively. “Oh, you know. Nothing serious. Just reading _Harry Potter_ out loud, talking about the weather, stuff like that.”  
  
Peter gave you a look that said he knew you weren’t being completely honest with him. You blew a lock of hair out of your face. “OK, fine. I told you that I was scared to lose you. I told you how much I love you and need you.” You couldn’t look him in the eyes.

“Y/N,” he said softly. “What are you not telling me?” You never had been able to lie to him.

“You’re my family, Peter. I don’t know what I’d do without you.” You held him as close as all the IV’s and monitors he was hooked up to would allow. “You are my whole world, and I love you more than I have the words to tell you. And our world is about to get just a little bit bigger.”  
  
He gave you a puzzled frown. “What do you mean?”  
  
“Our family is getting a new addition soon.” Jeez, why couldn’t you just spit it out? Why were you talking in riddles?  
  
“What, are we getting a new Avenger?” Of course he assumed you were talking about the team. The Avengers had been your family for the past few years.

“In a manner of speaking.” You placed one of Peter’s hands on your abdomen. “ _We_ are having a new Avenger.” You saw the cogs slowly turning in Peter’s head. Taking pity on him, you finally cut to the chase. “Peter,” you continued softly. “I’m pregnant. We’re having a baby.”  
  
You could see the instant that Peter’s brain stopped working. His eyes widened and his mouth hung open. All he could do was stare at you blankly. You poked him gently. “Say something, Peter.”  
  
He gulped and seemed to find his voice. “You… we… I… what?”

Rolling your eyes, you repeated yourself. He swallowed again. “That’s what I thought you said. I just thought maybe it was my mind playing a trick from being unconscious for so long.”  
  
“Believe me, it’s no trick.” You gazed into your boyfriend’s beautiful brown eyes. “We are going to be parents in a few months. I know we never really discussed anything like this, so I understand if you don’t think you’re ready for this. We can make a decision about things once you’re up and about, if you like.”  
  
“What do you mean?” He stared at you with a horrified expression. “Do you think I want you to get rid of it?”

You shrugged. “It’s not like we’ve ever talked about our future. I mean, this wasn’t exactly planned.”  
  
Peter shook his head. “Y/N, I love you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I’ve known that pretty much from the moment I met you. Sure, I always thought that in a few years, we’d talk about maybe getting married and having a family one day. But it looks like it’s happening a lot earlier than either of us anticipated.” He held both of your hands in his. “All I know is that I want this. I want _you._ I want a life with you. So we are going to have this baby, and we are going to make this work.”

He wore an expression of such love on his face that your heart melted. You were relieved that he didn’t freak out about the prospect of becoming a father. He just accepted it like he did everything else that life threw at him – with that relentlessly positive disposition. That was one of the things you loved most about Peter, his ability to always find the silver lining in any situation. He made every day brighter simply by being alive, and you never wanted that spark to be extinguished.

“I love you, Peter Parker. And if you are willing to have this baby, then so am I.” You kissed him gently. “Just so you know, the rest of the team already knows about the pregnancy, because I fainted a couple of times, so they were worried. I’m fine now, though,” you hurriedly assured Peter, noting the panicked expression on his face when you mentioned your fainting spells. “Also, you need to be aware that Aunt May is already buying stuff for the baby.”  
  
Peter groaned. “Man, she is going to go completely overboard with baby stuff. She could never have kids of her own, so she’s going to live vicariously through us.”

You giggled. “She’s probably going to have stiff competition from Tony. I wouldn’t be surprised if he buys an entire toy store.”  
  
Peter buried his head in your shoulder. “Stop! I don’t even want to think about that. Where the hell would we even put that much stuff?”  
  
“Tony would probably buy us an entire apartment tower as a wedding present. Apparently he’d already planned our whole wedding ceremony before we’d even got together.” You both snorted. That was a very distinct possibility with Tony, and the two of you knew it.

The two of you spent the rest of the night talking softly together, trying to wrap your heads around the fact that in a few months you were going to be parents, and attempting to figure out ways to stop both Tony and Aunt May from spoiling your child to death.


	15. Look at us, pretending we’re actual grownups and stuff

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter continues his recovery, and you both get a surprise from Tony.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little bit of implied smut. Just a reminder that Peter and reader are 18+ in this fic.

Peter was allowed to leave the infirmary two days after he’d regained consciousness. Bruce and Dr Cho ran a battery of tests on him, making sure that he was healing as anticipated, and that he was recovering both mentally and physically. After reassuring the medical staff that you would make sure he followed their orders to take it easy - in other words, “Stay in bed!” - he was finally allowed to head back to the living quarters of the Avengers Facility.

Tony spotted the both of you as you exited the elevator, and rushed over to you as you started leading Peter to his room. “Where do you think you’re going?”  
  
“Um, to Peter’s room?” You weren’t quite sure why you answered a question with another question, but something about the way Tony asked had you feeling a bit unsure of the correct answer.

Tony shook his head vigorously. “Nope, you’re heading in the wrong direction. This way.” He started heading down the corridor leading to the opposite wing of the building.  
  
“Tony, I’m pretty sure my room is _this_ way,” Peter gestured towards his room.

“Not anymore, Underoos. You’ve had an upgrade.”  
  
You and Peter glanced at each other quizzically, before deciding that the best course of action would just be to follow Tony before he came back and dragged you both by your ears. Or worse, got Natasha to do it. You scurried after him, firing questions at him which he steadfastly ignored.

Finally, he led you to a door at the end of the corridor. Opening it, he gestured grandly. “Welcome home, kids.”  
  
To call it a _room_ was a gross understatement. It was an entire apartment suite. You crossed your arms over your chest and stared at your cousin. “Tony, what have you done?”  
  
“Well, I just thought that, seeing as how you two only ever seem to occupy one room, and that you’re going to need the extra space soon, that you might as well have it now. So I’ve moved both of you into this suite.”

You kept staring at Tony, and he continued. “I just thought that you might appreciate having a bigger space. It’s three bedrooms. I mean, you guys pretty much live in the same room now anyway, so why not make it official? May can stay with you whenever she visits, and we can set one of the rooms up as the nursery for when Spidey Junior decides to make an appearance.”

Tony glanced at you rather shyly. He’d wanted to let you know that he was happy for the both of you, even if he thought you were far too young to be heading into parenthood, and in typical Tony fashion, the only way he could successfully tell you how he felt was to undertake a grand gesture. Such as an entire freaking apartment suite. You and Peter wandered around with wide eyes, trying to comprehend that this was all yours.

It was an enormous space. The lounge room alone was the size of your current suite, with comfortable looking couches, a huge flat screen TV covering an entire wall, several enormous beanbags, a fluffy white rug, and every gaming console imaginable. There was a decent sized kitchen, already fully stocked, and the dining room had an eight-place table setting. Your bookshelves had already been moved into the lounge room, along with Peter’s music collection. One of the smaller bedrooms had already been made up for Aunt May, and the other was the one you assumed would become the nursery. It was a blank slate, awaiting your input as to how you wanted it to be decorated. There was even a study, with Peter’s desk and computer already taking up space.

The master bedroom was the biggest you’d ever seen. “It’s bigger than Aunt May’s entire apartment!” whispered Peter. There was the most gigantic bed either of you had ever seen - “Oh, dear lord, this is the most comfortable bed I’ve ever had!” you squealed - and a walk-in wardrobe which made you nearly faint, it was so big.

“Oh my God, this bathtub is like a pool! It’s huge! And there’s jets in it!” Peter was babbling with excitement. He was like a kid at Christmas. He dragged you into the bathroom. “The shower has _two_ shower heads! TWO! We can share and not have to worry about one of us hogging all the water,” he smirked at you. You hated sharing the shower because Peter had a habit of standing directly under the water while you ended up staying relatively dry in comparison. You also liked the water a lot hotter than he did, so he complained that his skin was being burned off while you whinged that you were freezing to death.

You walked back out to the lounge room, where Tony was sitting on one of the couches. “When did you do all of this?”  
  
“Once we knew Peter was going to be fine, I thought you guys should have your own space. Everybody else agreed. Capsicle and Terminator decided to move all of the furniture for you. Natasha and Wanda decorated it. We just thought that the two of you would appreciate being to be able to have a bit more privacy, especially once the little one is here.”  
  
Your eyes welled up. “Tony, that was really thoughtful.”  
  
“Tony, this is too much. You didn’t need to do this,” Peter protested.

Tony dismissed his objections. “Nonsense. You two were pretty much living together anyway. This just makes it more formal. Better to do it now before Junior Underoos arrives. Besides, I wanted to do this for you. Think of it as an early wedding present.” He grinned.  
  
You rolled your eyes. “Tony, for the millionth time, we aren’t getting married.”  
  
“Not yet. But you will one day, and this way you already have a home of your own.” Tony was so sure of your future. It was almost comical.

You threw your arms around your cousin and kissed his cheek. “Thank you, Tony. This really means a lot.”  
  
He kissed you back and softly responded, “Don’t mention it, kiddo. I love you, and I just want you to know that I support you one hundred percent, no matter what you do.”

“Thanks, Tony, we really appreciate it.” Peter held out his hand, and Tony surprised him by pulling him into a fierce hug.

“Right, well, I’m going to leave you alone now, so you can christen the place.” Tony smirked and wiggled his eyebrows suggestively at you, laughing as you threw a cushion at his head. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do!” he cackled as he headed out the door.

“So, what do you want to do now?” Peter asked.

The two of you looked at each other for a heartbeat, then grinned. “Bubble bath!” you squealed simultaneously. 

******

You lay back against Peter’s chest, enjoying the feeling of his arms wrapped around you, and the warmth of the tub that was filled to the brim with bubbles. Sighing contentedly, you said softly, “I think I could get used to this.”

Peter pressed soft kisses to your neck and shoulders. “Mmmm. It’s definitely a nice way to recover.”

“I was talking about the bathtub,” you said.

“So was I.” His hands roamed over your stomach, slowly inching lower, even as his mouth continued to cover your neck with kisses. He latched onto a particularly sensitive spot and started sucking, causing you to gasp.  
  
“Peter,” you protested. “You’re supposed to be taking it easy.”  
  
“I’m not doing anything particularly strenuous,” he muttered, his lips barely leaving your skin, his fingers continuing to caress you. “Besides, the water adds buoyancy and puts less pressure on my muscles, so it’s actually helpful with my recovery.”  
  
You gave him a look over your shoulder. “I’m not really sure this is what Dr Cho had in mind when she approved ‘gentle exercise’ for you.”

Peter’s brown eyes were deceptively wide and innocent. “I’m not doing anything. I’m just sitting here, relaxing in the bathtub, trying to get you to do the same thing. Stress is bad for the baby, you know.”

You snorted, then turned around and splashed him in the face with the soapy water. “I know what you’re trying to do, Parker, and it’s not going to work.”  
  
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Y/N.” He was the picture of innocence, and he didn’t fool you for a second.

“Riiiiiiiiiight. You know what, I think I’m just going to get out and leave you to it. I’ve had about enough relaxing for the time being.” You started to move to the opposite end of the enormous bath, and Peter grabbed your wrist.

“No, stay. I promise I’ll be good.” Oh dear lord, he was giving you the puppy dog eyes. He knew damn well you could never say no to them. The dirty rotten cheater.

You faced him, pointing a finger at him. “Fine. I’ll stay a little bit longer. But no funny business, mister. You’re supposed to be resting.”  
  
“Scouts honour.” His eyes were twinkling with mischief. Suddenly, he grabbed a handful of bubbles and slapped them onto your face. “You look good with a beard, Y/N. Almost as attractive as Steve,” he laughed. For some reason, Steve had decided to stop shaving after the last mission, and if anything, a beard just made him even more ridiculously handsome.

“Oh, that does it!” You returned the favour by piling bubbles atop Peter’s head, and soon the two of you were splashing each other, shrieking like five-year-olds.

Eventually, Peter leaned back against the side of the bath, gasping for breath. “OK, I definitely need to rest now.” He pulled you onto his lap, and you rested your head on his shoulder, his arms wrapped around you once again.

After a few minutes, you started nuzzling his neck, feeling his pulse beneath your lips. He moaned softly. You shifted in his lap until you were straddling him. “I thought you told me to take it easy,” he whispered.

“Well, all you have to do is sit there. _I’m_ going to be the one doing all the work,” you smirked at him. “Just relax and let me take care of you, Peter.”

He didn’t really need a lot of persuading. 

******

“So what do you want to watch? _Empire Strikes Back? Back To The Future? Die Hard?_ ”  
  
You snuggled under the blankets on your enormous bed, feeling extremely languid after your time in the bath. Dressed in a pair of sleep shorts and one of Peter’s science pun t-shirts that you’d ‘borrowed’ ages ago and kept ‘forgetting’ to return, you’d never felt more comfortable in your life. “How about _The Princess Bride?_ We haven’t watched that for ages.”  
  
“As you wish,” Peter smiled at you, quoting the movie. He knew how much you adored the story of Westley and Buttercup. You always swooned over the handsome farmhand who became the Dread Pirate Roberts, you cheered every time Inigo Montoya appeared on screen, and you booed whenever Prince Humperdinck or the six-fingered man turned up.

Once the movie was set up, Peter joined you under the covers. “Oh my God, this bed is the most comfortable thing I’ve ever been on. It’s like lying on a cloud!” He wriggled with delight.  
  
You giggled. “Isn’t it great? I could quite happily live in this bed for the rest of my life.” You propped yourself up on the mountain of pillows to watch the film.

Peter sat up and draped his arm around your shoulders, so that your head rested on his chest. He spoke softly, not wanting to ruin your enjoyment of the movie. “I know that things are moving a lot faster than either of us probably expected, but my life is exactly where I want it to be. I’m an Avenger, I am in love with the most amazing young woman, and I’m about to be a dad. I don’t really know how much happier I could possibly get. You are the best thing that’s ever happened to me, and I am going to do my best to make you happy for the rest of our lives. I love you, Y/N, and I want to marry you. What do you say?”  
  
When you didn’t respond, Peter looked down at you and smiled. You were sound asleep, snuggled against his chest and snoring softly. He pressed a kiss to your temple and held you close. “I’ll ask you another time, when you’re actually awake,” he whispered, his own eyelids getting heavy.

Neither of you saw the end of the movie.

******

Bruce had asked you to come down to the med-bay so that he could perform an ultrasound to confirm how far along you were. Peter had insisted on coming too, still not quite believing that you were both about to become parents.

You winced as the cold gel was spread along your abdomen. “Sorry,” Bruce muttered apologetically. “It will warm up in a few seconds, I promise.” He placed the transducer over your belly and started pressing firmly, trying to find the foetus’s heartbeat. All of a sudden, a rapid staccato sounded out through the room. Bruce grinned. “That’s your baby’s heartbeat. It’s good and strong.”

Your eyes widened. Suddenly, the fact that you were soon to be a mother seemed alarmingly real. You turned to Peter and saw his eyes glittering with unshed tears. “Wow, it’s so fast,” he whispered. He squeezed your hand. “It finally seems real.”

Bruce pointed at the image on the screen before you. “That’s the baby’s head, and the body.”

You and Peter started at the screen, trying to determine exactly what you were looking at, but it was just all one big blur. “It just looks like a blob,” you giggled.

“Or a giant jellybean,” Peter said, making you giggle even harder.

“Hey, Jellybean,” you whispered to the screen. “Nice to finally see you.”  
  
Bruce confirmed that you were around eight weeks pregnant, so it was too soon to tell what gender the baby was. The two of you decided you didn’t want to know what you were having, preferring to keep it a surprise. Because if either Aunt May or Tony knew the gender in advance, you knew you would be bombarded with either pink or blue everything, and neither of you wanted to suffer through that.

As you lay in bed that evening, Peter lay with his head on your stomach while you ran your fingers through his hair. Pressing a tender kiss to your belly, he whispered, “Good night, Jellybean. Your mama and I can’t wait to meet you.”

He sat up next to you and kissed you. “So we’re calling it Jellybean, huh?” you grinned.

Peter shrugged. “It’s as good as anything else. Do you mind?”  
  
“Not at all. I like it. Good night, Jellybean,” you said as you rubbed your belly. “I love you, and I love your daddy.”

“I love you too.” Peter kissed you again, and soon the two of you were asleep, snuggled up and dreaming of the day you’d meet your little jellybean.


	16. Go away. Come back. Leave me alone. Why the hell aren’t you paying attention to me?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Baby Parker is nearly here, and Loki is one of the few people you don’t want to kill.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Only one more chapter to go!

You stood in the nursery with your hands on your hips, glaring at the pieces of the cot that you were trying to put together. You were related to Tony Stark, engineering super-genius. Why the hell couldn’t you figure out how to put together a stupid cot?  
  
“Is this a bad time, kitten?” Loki stood in the doorway of the nursery, looking apologetic.  
  
“Ugh, no! I don’t think I want to look at another piece of baby furniture ever again!” You threw your hands up in disgust and stomped out of the room. Baby hormones were absolutely _not_ making you more irrational than usual. How dare anybody suggest such a thing.

Loki looked around the half-completed nursery. The walls were covered in various patches of yellow paint, because you couldn’t decide if you wanted them to be Crème Brulee, Lemon Meringue or Custard. Peter’s favourite colour was yellow, and as you didn’t know what gender the baby would be, you’d both agreed to stick to a fairly neutral colour that would suit either a boy or a girl. But now you decided you hated the colour yellow, and that your baby’s father had terrible taste.

The pieces of cot were scattered on the floor, and various other pieces of furniture were half completed as well. You had absolutely refused any help to put anything together, insisting that you knew what you were doing and that just because you were growing another human it didn’t mean that your brain had stopped working, and everybody had very wisely kept their mouths shut.

You were slumped on the couch, sulking. Loki sat next to you cautiously, not wanting to cause your temper to explode. You’d always been fairly placid, but now you were completely unpredictable and volatile. “Allow me to help you, sweetling,” he pleaded softly.

Glaring at the god, you fumed. “Do you think you can do a better job than me? Are you saying I’m useless?”  
  
Loki held his hands up. “Not at all, dear heart. I just feel that perhaps a _tiny_ bit of assistance may be warranted. You’ve been attempting singlehandedly to set the nursery up for weeks, to no avail. Please, as your friend, allow me to help.”  
  
With an ungrateful sigh, you gave in. “Fine. You can’t possibly do a worse job than Peter has.” Rational You knew that was completely unfair, but Rational You had taken a vacation and left behind Irrational You in her place. Poor Peter couldn’t do anything right lately, and he stayed out of your way as much as possible in order to avoid the worst of your wrath.

Loki wandered back into the nursery, pursing his lips in thought. He fixed the image he wanted in his mind, and brought his magic forth.  Soft green wisps of light danced from his fingertips, and he waved his hands around the room. After a few minutes, he returned to the lounge room and grasped your hands, pulling you gently up from the couch.

“What are you doing, Trickster?” you asked suspiciously.

“I wish to determine whether you approve of how I have arranged things. If not, I will rearrange them until they meet your satisfaction.” He placed his hands over your eyes and led you back towards the nursery. “Alright, pet. Let me know what you think.”  
  
Opening your eyes, you gasped softly. The walls were a soft yellow (Crème Brulee, in actual fact), the cot had been assembled, the furniture placed about the nursery in a pleasing arrangement, and various baby toys and paintings had been placed about the room. Somehow, Loki had arranged everything just exactly how you had imagined. “Oh, Loki, it’s perfect.”  
  
“It pleases you?” He sounded delighted.

You threw your arms around your friend. “I love it! It’s exactly how I wanted it to look. Thank you.” You kissed him soundly on the cheek, then flopped into the armchair that you’d chosen for nursing.

“So, I take it that I can let Peter know it’s safe to return?” The god grinned mischievously at you.

Rolling your eyes, you replied, “I suppose so. Now that all of the hard work has been done, I guess he can make an appearance and pretend that he’s actually been useful.” If you were teasing, then Loki knew that the worst of your temper was now over.

Loki met the young man in the kitchen. “It appears I have managed to appease her, Peter. You may now enter your quarters without fear of losing your head.”  
  
Peter sighed with relief. “Oh man, thank you so much, Loki! You’re a lifesaver.” He shook the god’s hand enthusiastically. “Honestly, I’m scared to breathe around her in case she threatens to rip my lungs out through my nostrils.”

“I suggest you return to your lovely partner and lavish her with attention before she changes her mind,” Loki recommended.

Peter nodded and hastily returned to the suite he shared with you. He found you lying on the nursery floor, crying. “Y/N! What’s wrong?” he cried in alarm, kneeling beside you.

You sat up, sniffling. “It’s just… so… so... beautiful! And I… I… can’t thank L… L… Loki enough for d… d… doing this for us.” You hiccupped and continued sobbing.

Peter knew better than to laugh at you, although he was finding it exceedingly difficult to keep a straight face at your preposterous behaviour. He knew that your hormones were making your emotions seem like a rollercoaster ride, so he wisely said nothing and looked around the nursery. He admired Loki’s handiwork, admitting that the god had done an amazing job. “It is beautiful, Y/N. But not as beautiful as you.”  
  
Your mouth twitched. “Flattery will get you everywhere, Parker.”

“Good.” He gathered you into his arms and kissed you gently.

You crawled into his lap, snuggling closer. “I’m sorry I’ve been acting so demented recently. I know I’ve been driving you crazy.”  
  
“It’s OK. Bruce and Scott warned me about what to expect. Bruce explained it all to me in scientific terms, and Scott told me how to survive seeing as how he’d gone through this with Cassie’s mother.” Peter grinned at you. “So I’ve been well prepared.”

He hooked one arm under your legs, and the other behind your back, then stood up and carried you into the bedroom. “Peter, what are you doing?” you laughed as he dropped you onto the bed.  
  
“Well, it’s been suggested that because you might not be feeling quite like yourself, I need to make sure you feel appreciated, and remind you just how much I love you. So, I intend to show you just how much I appreciate you, my love.” He started trailing kisses down your neck, running his hands up and down your sides.

“And who suggested this?” you murmured, enjoying the sensation of Peter’s lips on your skin.

“Loki,” Peter admitted, glancing at you to make sure that you were fine with his attentions. He smirked when he noticed that your eyes were filled with lust.

“Remind me to thank him later. Now, how about you appreciate me some more?”  
  
“With pleasure,” he sighed, attacking your neck once again.

You hadn’t felt this appreciated in at least a week. 

******

“Pepper! Thank goodness you’re here,” you cried as you hugged the strawberry blonde tightly.

“What’s wrong, Y/N?” she asked, concern in her eyes.

“Oh, nothing! We just wanted to ask you something,” Peter replied as he also embraced the CEO of Stark Industries.

“Fire away,” Pepper smiled at both of you. You very rarely asked anything of her, so she knew whatever was bothering you and Peter must be fairly serious.

“Well, we just wanted to ask… and feel free to say ‘No’… but Peter and I just wanted to know if you would be our baby’s godmother.” You smiled shyly at Pepper, who stared at the both of you with her mouth open.

“Pepper? Are you alright?” Peter was starting to feel a bit alarmed.

Pepper shook her head, and then squealed with delight. “Are you kidding me? I would be honoured to be godmother to baby Parker!” She grabbed the two of you and kissed you soundly, causing Peter’s cheeks to flame with embarrassment. “Oh, my goodness! I can’t believe this. I’m thrilled to bits!”

“We couldn’t think of anybody better. You’ve been like a mother to both of us since we moved into the Avengers Headquarters,” you said.

“Thank you, kids. I’m so honoured.” She beamed. Hugging you both again, she headed in the direction of her office, a noticeable spring in her step.

“One down, one to go,” you muttered.

“Tony is going to freak out when he discovers who we want as the godfather to Jellybean,” Peter fretted.

“Pfft. Like we’ve ever let that stop us from doing anything. He’ll get over it.” You linked your fingers with your boyfriend’s and dragged him with you to the library.

Not surprisingly, the God of Mischief was sitting in one of the armchairs, reading a book of Asgardian poetry. Looking up when the two of you entered, he smiled at you. “To what do I owe the pleasure of your company, little ones?” He’d taken to calling you both that as a term of affection.

“We have a favour to ask you, tricksy one,” you replied.  
  
“And what is this favour going to cost me?” he asked with a smile.

“Our firstborn,” Peter teased.

Loki looked at him quizzically. “I’m not sure I understand.”  
  
“Loki, Y/N and I would be honoured if you would agree to be the godfather of Jellybean.” Upon seeing the confusion still on the god’s face, Peter explained, “It means that you’d be responsible for helping us raise our child, and taking on the role of a parent if anything happened to either of us.”  
  
“Are you sure you should entrust a role such as this to myself? Would not Captain Rogers, or even Stark, be more suited for this?”  
  
You grabbed Loki’s hand. “Princeling, we’ve given this a lot of thought. As much as we love Tony, he’s not really a great role model for young children. A lot of fun, but a terrible father figure.”  
  
“And Steve is great, but let’s face it, he can be a tiny bit boring,” Peter grinned. “You’ve been such a great friend to the both of us, especially over the past few months, and we think you’d actually be pretty responsible and a good influence.”  
  
Loki quirked an eyebrow. “A good influence? Responsible? Are you sure you’re talking about me?”  
  
“Loki.” Your face grew serious. “You have been an awesome addition to this team. You know how to have fun, but you also know when it is time to play by the rules. Peter and I think you’d provide our child with a good mix of playfulness and sensible behaviour. You’re pretty level-headed most of the time, and you haven’t made any truly horrible decisions lately. Besides, we both trust you one hundred percent.”

Loki’s eyes misted with tears. Never had he felt more accepted by anyone at the Avengers Facility than at this moment. “The two of you have been better friends than I have deserved. I am honoured that you would choose me to help guide and influence your youngling. I accept with pleasure.”  
  
You and Peter tackled him in a hug, which he laughingly returned, before you gasped loudly.

“What is it?” Peter asked in alarm.  
  
Smiling broadly, you grabbed one of Peter’s hands, and one of Loki’s, then placed them gently on your swollen belly. “Jellybean just kicked.”  
  
Peter’s eyes widened. “Really? Do it again!”  
  
“I can’t make them kick on command, Peter. Just wait and see if it happens.” They sat patiently, and sure enough, after another minute you felt another kick under your ribs. “Oof! I think we have a soccer player on our hands.”  
  
“I felt it! Oh wow, that was amazing.” Peter had a look of such adoration in his eyes that it made your heart burst. Even Loki had a look of wonder on his face. The three of you sat like that until Clint came and called you for dinner. 

******

Peter was sitting on the couch in your living room, with your head resting in his lap as you lay down. Loki sat on the floor and rested his head against your belly, singing softly.

_Baby mín, grætur þú ekki_ __  
_Baby mín, þurrkaðu augun_ __  
_Haltu höfuðinu nálægt hjarta þínu_ _  
_ _Aldrei að hluta, elskan mín_

“What are you singing, Loki?” you asked curiously.  
  
“It’s an Asgardian lullaby. My mother used to sing it to me when I was an infant.” He lifted his head and smiled at you. “Roughly translated, it is similar to the song the mother elephant sings to the big-eared baby she has in that Disney movie you love so much.”

He was referring to _Baby Mine_ from Dumbo, but it didn’t sound anything like that. The tune was very different, the tempo obviously changed due to the syllables in the Asgardian version. It was different, but still very pretty.  
  
You ran your fingers through Loki’s hair, even as Peter was doing the same to you. “You have a lovely voice, Loki.”  
  
“Thank you, kitten. My mother taught me well.”

“Could you teach it to us?” asked Peter. “It sounds really cool.”  
  
“Of course,” the god agreed. He spent the next hour or so teaching you both the pronunciation, patiently correcting you. Finally, he felt that you had progressed well enough that he could teach you the next verse. However, just as he’d started, a strange expression crossed your face. 

“Y/N, what’s going on?” Peter asked.  
  
“I’m not sure. I don’t feel great. I might just go and lie down in bed for a bit.” You struggled to your feet, feeling rather like you were smuggling a watermelon under your shirt, and you had only taken a few steps before you hunched over with a groan of pain. Suddenly, you looked up with wide eyes. “Um, I think I might need to head down to the medical wing.”  
  
“Why?” Peter’s voice was filled with concern.

You stared into the faces of your partner and your best friend, who both noticed you were standing in a puddle. “Because my water just broke. I’m pretty sure I’m about to have this baby.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translation of the lullaby, from Icelandic to English. Apologies if it’s not entirely correct, Google Translate is not perfect.
> 
> Baby mín, grætur þú ekki   
> Baby mín, þurrkaðu augun   
> Haltu höfuðinu nálægt hjarta þínu   
> Aldrei að hluta, elskan mín
> 
> Baby mine, don’t you cry  
> Baby mine, dry your eyes  
> Rest your head close to my heart  
> Never to part, baby of mine


	17. The smallest things make us feel the most love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Baby Parker is finally here!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is it, folks, the final chapter! Thanks to all of you who have left comments and kudos, it's much appreciated. I hope you've enjoyed it!

“Y/N, how far apart are your contractions?” Dr Cho asked as she hooked you up to a heart monitor. Peter hovered near you anxiously, not wanting to be in the way but also keen to stay close to you in case you needed anything.

“Um, I think about ten or fifteen minutes or so. I’m not sure, I haven’t been timing them.”  
  
“OK. And how long is each contraction lasting?”  
  
You thought briefly before answering. “I guess about thirty or forty seconds.”  
  
Dr Cho nodded. “You’re still in the early stages of labour, but it’s good that you came down here straight away. I’d rather you be here so we can monitor you, instead of waiting until the last minute to come down.”  
  
Bruce asked, “Have you thought about whether you want an epidural or not?”  
  
You nodded vigorously. “I might be a superhero, Bruce, but I’m not stupid. Pain is not my friend. I want the drugs. Give me ALL of the drugs.”

Bruce chuckled. “Well, it’s too early yet, but when the time comes we will definitely provide you with pain relief.” He pats your shoulder. “Don’t worry, we’ll take care of you.”  
  
You groaned as another contraction hit, and Peter rubbed your back in an attempt to relieve some of your pain. You smiled gratefully at him. Bruce and the medical team assured you that they would be nearby, and would check on you periodically. They left you and Peter alone, and went to prepare the ward where you would have your baby.

“How are you feeling, sweetheart?” Peter asked.

“Like something is trying to claw its way out of my stomach,” you grumbled. “I knew it was a mistake to watch _Aliens_ last night.”

“Do you need anything?”  
  
“Yeah, I need someone to get this baby out of me.” You knew you sounded whiny, but you didn’t really care at this point in time.

Peter kissed the top of your head and continued to rub your back, which was a soothing gesture that helped to alleviate some of your grumpiness. “Jellybean will be here before you know it, Y/N.”  
  
“It’s not a jellybean anymore, Peter. It’s like an entire factory worth of jellybeans has taken up residence in my uterus.” He chuckled at your comment, but wisely kept his mouth shut.

You looked at your partner, suddenly serious. “Peter, I’m scared. What if I’m a terrible mother? What if they hate me? What if I don’t love them as much as I should? I don’t know _anything_ about being a parent. What if I completely screw this up?”  
  
Peter grabbed both of your hands in his and returned your gaze, his beautiful brown eyes filled with love. “Y/N, I understand completely. I am absolutely petrified that I am going to do a terrible job of being a father. I have no experience with children other than Cassie Lang.” He dropped your hands so that he could hold your face in his hands. “All I know is that we are going to love our baby, and we are going to do the best job we can. We will do this together. We will make this work.”

You pressed your cheek against his hand, nuzzling his palm. “When did you get so smart?”  
  
He shrugged. “Since I finally admitted I was in love with you a couple of years ago.”

Smiling, he kissed you tenderly, which helped to distract you from your discomfort until a particularly painful contraction hit. Gasping in pain, you wheezed, “I think you might need to get Dr Cho back in here.”

Peter raced out of the room to find the doctor, and she came in a couple of minutes later. After examining you, she smiled. “Well, let’s get you into the theatre. You’re about to have a baby!”

******

Peter’s eyes nearly doubled in size when he saw the needle that the anaesthetist was preparing for your epidural. “You’re going to stick _that_ into her?” he squeaked, looking more than a little green.

“It’s perfectly fine. It will be less painful than trying to go through the entire labour without some sort of pain relief.” The doctor checked to make sure that you were absolutely comfortable, and told you to slowly count backwards from five while he prepared to put the needle into your spine. Suddenly, there was a loud crash.

Turning your head, you noticed a flurry of activity as the nurses attended to the prone form of Peter on the floor. “Seriously, Parker? I’m the one being stabbed with a horse needle and _you_ are the one that passes out? Pathetic. And you call yourself a superhero.”

The anaesthetist and Dr Cho laughed. “It’s not uncommon for the father-to-be to faint at some stage during the birthing process,” Dr Cho laughed. “But we’re usually a bit further along before that happens.”

The anaesthetist asked you how the epidural felt, and chuckled again when you replied, “It feels like bliss. You’re my new best friend.” Drugs were great, drugs were your friend.

“OK, now that the epidural is working, we just need to wait until your cervix dilates a little bit more. You might want to try and walk around for a bit if you can. That can encourage things to move along more quickly,” Dr Cho told you. You nodded, and attempted to get off the bed, but found it awkward. She helped you get to your feet.

You looked over at Peter. He was still on the floor, but his eyes were open. He looked pale, and already an impressive lump was forming on his forehead. “God, Parker, you’re such a drama queen,” you joked.

He grinned weakly at you. “I just got jealous of all the attention you were receiving.” He sat up slowly, wincing a bit as he felt his head. “I’ll live.” The nurses checked to make sure he was ok, and declared him fine to get up.  
  
“Glad to hear it.” You waddled around the room, feeling less than graceful.

Peter stood up and gingerly walked over to you. He put his arm around your shoulder. “How are you feeling, babe?”  
  
“Like I’m smuggling a watermelon.” You groaned as another contraction hit. “Dr Cho thinks it won’t be too much longer.”

After another hour or so, Dr Cho confirmed that things were starting to move faster now. “Your cervix is fully dilated, Y/N. You might feel the urge to push, but I don’t want you to do anything unless I tell you to, ok?”  
  
You gulped nervously, but nodded in assent. You lay on the bed, holding Peter’s hand. He smoothed your hair back, smiling at you softly. This was it. When Dr Cho told you, you pushed, crying out in pain as you did so. Peter was grateful for his accelerated spider-healing, because it felt like you were crushing every bone in his hand.

Your labour continued for what felt like hours. You groaned in frustration. “Ahhhhhhhh! Goddammit! When this baby comes out, let ME slap it!” you screeched. Dr Cho snorted in amusement.

Peter tried to push your hair out of your face again, but hesitated when you glared at him. “I swear to God, Parker, if you lay a hand on me ever again I will rip your dick off and shove it down your throat!” He nodded dumbly at you, being smart enough not to say anything. He knew this was just a coping mechanism for you to deal with the pain, but seeing you like this was scary. You were _terrifying._ He was pretty sure he’d be sleeping on the couch for the next five years.

“Alright, the baby is crowning. Time to push again, Y/N,” Dr Cho said.

“I can’t,” you sobbed in exhaustion. “I can’t do this anymore.”  
  
“Yes, you can. Just one more big push.”  
  
Peter nodded his encouragement, too scared to actually say anything to you. You took a deep breath, and pushed with everything you had. Finally, Dr Cho said triumphantly, “And there we go! You did it.”  
  
She gently handed you the baby as it started crying. It was covered in white goop, dark hair plastered to its head, and looked like a skinned rabbit. You were convinced that you’d never seen anything more beautiful in your entire life. The infant snuggled onto your chest, and you instantly fell in love. Dr Cho covered the baby with a blanket to help keep it warm. “Congratulations. It’s a boy.”

“A boy? We have a son?” Peter whispered.

Dr Cho grinned at him and nodded. “Peter, would you like to cut the umbilical cord?”  
  
“Will it hurt him?” Dr Cho shook her head, and Peter cut where she indicated.

“I’ll leave you two to get acquainted with your new addition for a little while. We’ll need to weigh him soon, and give him a quick checkup, but that can wait for a bit. Enjoy him.” Dr Cho shook Peter’s hand and gave your shoulder a quick squeeze before leaving the room.

Peter sat on the bed next to you, gazing at you and your son with awe. You looked exhausted, your hair damp with sweat, but to him you were the most beautiful thing in the world. He whispered, “Hey, Jellybean, nice to finally meet you. Although you look kind of more like an angry red potato than a jellybean.”  
  
You giggled. “I think he looks like a mandrake, you know, like from Harry Potter.”  
  
Peter tilted his head. “Yeah, that works too. So, do we need to give him some weird wizard name?”  
  
You shook your head. You whispered the name you wanted into Peter’s ear. He looked at you with wide eyes. “What do you think, Peter?”  
  
“I think it’s perfect.”  
  
“Me too. But I want to keep it just between us for a bit. Just until we can introduce him to everyone.”  
  
“OK. I’m happy to keep him to ourselves for a while longer.” Peter kissed you, then kissed his son. The two of you stared at the sleeping infant, wondering how you had made something so perfect.

******

Dr Cho made you stay in the medical wing for twenty-four hours to ensure there were no complications, and had relayed your request that none of the others come to visit. You’d told her you just wanted to rest after your labour, but really you just wanted to be a tiny bit selfish and keep your son to yourself for a little while. You were even reluctant to let Peter hold him, but finally your need to sleep had won out, and Peter finally got his chance. He spent the entire time staring at his son in wonder.

When you were finally allowed to return to the main part of the compound, you and Peter headed straight to the common room. You were inundated with cheers and well wishes. Everyone rushed over to congratulate the two of you, except for Aunt May. She was on the couch, sitting on her hands, trying her best not to look like she wanted to immediately pounce on her grand-nephew.

“Well, I supposed we’d finally better introduce our son to all of you,” Peter addressed the room.

You smiled at him before turning to the others. “Everybody, please say hello to Benjamin Anthony Parker.”

Aunt May gasped, and tears filled her eyes. “You named him Benjamin?”  
  
Peter nodded. “Of course. Uncle Ben was like a father to me. There was no other name we could think of that was more perfect.”  
  
Aunt May gave Peter a ferocious hug. “Oh, sweetie, you have no idea how much that means to me.” She turned to you almost shyly. “Can I hold him?”  
  
“Of course. Ben, say hello to your Aunt May.” You handed over the precious bundle.

“Hi, sweet pea. I’m going to spoil you rotten, and your mommy and daddy can’t do a damn thing about it.” She cooed at the tiny boy in her arms. Pepper and Wanda joined her on the couch, both swooning over the infant.

Tony came over to you. “You named him after me, too?” he whispered.

You hugged your cousin. “Yep. We named him after the two most important men in our lives. I hope that’s OK with you.”  
  
Tony looked like he was about to cry. “Kiddo, that means more to me than just about anything. I’m honoured.” He grinned. “Now I don’t feel quite so bad about you asking Reindeer Games to be the godfather.”

Peter also embraced Tony. “You’ve been so supportive to both of us, Tony. We thought it was appropriate to name our son after the man who’s been a mentor to the two of us since we were kids.”  
  
Tony snorted. “You’re _still_ kids. But I get where you’re coming from. Thank you, both of you.”

Pepper had finally managed to get her hands on her godson, and was crooning to him softly. Tony gazed at her with a lovestruck expression on his face. “It almost makes me want to have one of my own.” He noticed the smirks you and Peter gave each other. “I said _almost._ I’m not really sure I should inflict that on the world.”

“You’re an awesome honorary dad, Tony. One day you’ll be an amazing father in your own right.” You held your cousin close, pressing a kiss to his cheek, before moving to sit with the rest of the team. Peter pulled you onto his lap. The two of you watched as Benjamin was passed from one Avenger to another, all of them wanting to greet the infant in their own way.

Natasha and the twins greeted Ben in Russian, calling him маленький паук or “little spider”. Bruce smiled wistfully when he was handed the baby. Clint and Scott were completely besotted, reminded of when their own children had been born. Sam and Rhodey were both instantly smitten, and promised to teach your son how to fly as soon as he was old enough.

Thor was surprisingly quiet and gentle, rather than his usual boisterous self, smiling goofily at the small boy and announcing with a wince that he had a good strong grip after Ben grabbed a fistful of Thor’s hair. “He has the makings of a great warrior.”

Bucky seemed terrified to hold him, but you and Peter both reassured him that you trusted him not to hurt Ben. You demonstrated how to hold him correctly, and once Bucky relaxed enough, he seemed reluctant to relinquish his hold on the infant. He actually pouted when Steve demanded a turn. Steve was a natural, holding Ben like he’d handled babies his entire life, softly singing a lullaby to him. Bucky looked over Steve’s shoulder, desperately wishing for another chance to hold Ben.

When it was Loki’s turn to greet his godson, he was hesitant at first. However, once Ben was placed in his arms, the god forgot his fears. He stared into the eyes of his godson, and muttered a small protection incantation. “Greetings, littlest one. I am pleased to finally meet you.”

He hesitated slightly before continuing softly. “Your parents have tasked me with providing my guidance to you as you grow. I’m not sure that this was the wisest decision they could have made; however, I will do my best to ensure that you don’t get into _too_ much trouble. As long as I draw breath, you will be protected.”

Loki pressed a gentle kiss to Ben’s head. “Know that all here love you devotedly, little one. You are a most welcome addition to our family.” He looked up to see the eyes of every other Avenger upon him, and his face turned crimson. Thor smirked at his younger brother. “What?” Loki asked with a hint of irritation.  
  
“So you finally admit that you are part of this family,” Thor beamed.

“Shut up, Thor.” Loki gave the God of Thunder a half-hearted glare.

You and Peter sat on either side of Loki and enveloped him in a hug, which he pretended to grudgingly accept but that you both knew he not-so-secretly relished. “We love you, Loki,” you whispered, pressing a kiss to his cheek.

“I love you too, my little ones,” he smiled, still tenderly holding a sleeping Benjamin.

The three of you sat there, basking in the love of the team, and feeling that your Avengers family was finally complete.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I originally wanted to do a wedding chapter between reader and Peter, but I felt this was a good place to stop. If there’s enough interest then I might do an epilogue so we get a Spidey wedding. Let me know what you think!
> 
> I've got a couple of fics in the works. One is a Bucky/Reader, with Steve making an appearance as a priest; one is a love/hate relationship between the reader and Peter Parker; one is a love triangle between the reader, Steve and Matt Murdock; plus I'm got more chapters in my Avengers Imagines.
> 
> Just a thank you to everyone who has read and liked the works I've written to date. It really means a lot that people like what I'm writing. It's good to know that it's not entirely self-indulgent :)


End file.
